Abstract
How do positive interventions work? We hypothesized that an increase in the importance individuals place on intrinsic rather than extrinsic goal pursuits (relative intrinsic goal pursuits; RIGP) explains the effectiveness of the best possible self (BPS) intervention. We randomized 128 mainly female psychology undergraduates to perform either the BPS intervention or a daily activities control. We assessed thriving (comprehensive inventory of thriving) and RIGP (Aspiration Index) before, immediately after, and 2 weeks after the intervention. Results from a cross-lagged panel design path analysis indicate that the BPS intervention effectively increased thriving (r = .11, p = .010). However, RIGP do not mediate the intervention effect (95% CI [− 0.01, 0.01]). Our results challenge predictions derived from self-determination theory. We suggest that future studies test goal ambivalence as a mediator.
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