Developmental Conditions of Developmental Regulation: Heterogeneous Constellations Predict Flexible Goal Adjustment

From a lifespan perspective in developmental psychology, it is necessary not only to examine the effectiveness of development-regulating processes, but also to investigate their own development. According to several theories, besides processes that foster the achievement of goals (goal engagement), a central process of developmental regulation is to adapt individual goals to perceived restrictions and their changes over the course of a lifetime (flexibility of goal adjustment). Several studies suggest that experiencing heterogeneous developmental circumstances could be favorable for the development of flexible goal adjustment. Accordingly, the current study aims to investigate the heterogeneity hypothesis, that is, possible heterogeneous life conditions, namely the degree of multilingualism, cultural diversity, and related cognitive processes (language switching and cultural frame switching) and thinking styles (hybrid thinking style, alternate thinking style, and divergent thinking) as predictors of flexible goal adjustment. Data were collected in a cross-sectional online questionnaire study. The participants ( N = 999, aged 18–82, 58.3% female) either spoke English or German as their first language and were from the United Kingdom (79.8%), the United States (6.5%), and Germany (3.4%). Results showed that cultural diversity, degree of multilingualism, and hybrid thinking style positively predicted flexible goal adjustment. In contrast, some thinking styles (alternating thinking, facets of divergent thinking) were negatively associated with flexible goal adjustment. The present cross-sectional findings, which partially replicate previous results, are consistent with the assumption that linguistically and culturally heterogeneous experiences can be supportive of the flexibility of goal adjustment. Future research should investigate these assumptions in longitudinal settings to shed light on the presumed developmental perspective. If this pattern of results proves to be replicable longitudinally, this might underscore possible beneficial aspects of language education and intercultural contact.