Goals in Self-Directed Behavior

Abstract

In this article, the human system is discussed as being an active self-directed organism. This activity is seen as being directed toward maintaining standards (being) and/or reaching goals (becoming). These goals and standards emerge from the interaction of hereditary or evolutionary species-specific factors with environmental and personal factors, such as the physical environment, the self, family, culture, and other cultures. It is therefore proposed that goals and standards are one of the key dimensions in self-directed processes, and that discussions related to the nature of knowing, learning, and emoting should be framed within the context of the goals and standards that emerge over the course of one's life. In addition, future directions for continued theoretical and empirical efforts to look at being and becoming processes as well as long-term and short-term goals from an educational psychology perspective are proposed.