Dealing with conflict: Reducing goal ambivalence using the best-possible-self intervention

Abstract

ABSTRACTOne of the flagship exercises in positive psychology is the best-possible-self (BPS) intervention, which has been repeatedly shown to increase positive affect. Yet little is known about the intervention’s underlying psychological mechanisms. We propose that goal ambivalence and positive future expectations should operate as mediators because both variables might be affected by the BPS intervention and have been shown to promote positive affect. To investigate this issue, we randomized clusters of 188 psychology undergraduates to write about either their best possible future or their previous day. Participants reported goal ambivalence, positive future expectations, and positive affect before, immediately after, and 1 week after the intervention. Path analysis results indicated that the BPS intervention increased positive affect and decreased goal ambivalence up to 1 week later. Neither goal ambivalence nor positive future expectations mediated the effect of the BPS intervention on positive affect in the week after its implementation. Future studies should investigate how repeated administrations of the BPS intervention affect goal ambivalence over time and whether resulting lower levels of distress might explain the intervention’s effect on depressive symptoms.