Digital media are pervasive and offer various short-term rewards, yet they may undermine the achievement of long-term goals by fostering procrastination—the irrational delay of intended tasks. Research documents that media users try to avoid procrastination through digital disconnection, the voluntary and temporary reduction of digital media use. Combining theoretical perspectives on psychological processes of self-regulation and digital disconnection, our study investigates whether goal conflicts and trait self-control make engaging in disconnection more likely and whether disconnection is in turn associated with less procrastination. In an experience sampling study with N = 237 young adult participants and T = 12,408 observations, we find that in situations in which participants experienced stronger goal conflicts they were more likely to engage in digital disconnection and that individuals who generally experience higher goal conflict were more likely to disconnect. Additionally, those with higher trait self-control disconnected more. Most notably, disconnection was associated with lower procrastination on the within-person level: In situations with more disconnection, procrastination was lower. Exploratory analyses find that this effect persisted to the following situation. Our results show that engaging in digital disconnection could be a promising self-control strategy to reduce procrastination.

BackgroundPrimary care includes preventive and acute care, and management of long-term conditions. In Sweden, approximately 40 million annual visits are made to primary care, of which more than 12 million are registered nurse consultations. Registered nurses are often responsible for initial assessments, including triage and prioritization. Timely and accurate assessments are essential, as inappropriate decisions may adversely affect both care quality and patient outcomes. However, demographic changes, rising chronic disease prevalence, and growing expectations for accessible and efficient services continue to strain primary care capacity. Therefore, this study aims to explore registered nurses’ experiences of goal conflicts in decision-making during primary care consultations for acute illnesses, with a focus on clinical assessment, prioritization, and their perceived consequences.MethodsA qualitative study using semi-structured focus group discussions was conducted to explore registered nurses’ experiences and perspectives. Seven focus group discussions with 27 registered nurses in Sweden were conducted between April and May 2025. A thematic analysis was conducted.ResultsThe results present one overarching theme, Juggling conflicting demands of optimal and timely care with limited resources, and four interrelated themes illustrating these goal conflicts: organizational demands versus quality of care, accessibility versus risk of crowding out, expectations versus adequate resources, and teamwork versus professional autonomy. The findings highlight conflicting organizational, professional, and patient-driven goals that result in ethical dilemmas and ambivalence among registered nurses.ConclusionsThis study indicates that goal conflicts in primary care arise from extensive assessment responsibilities placed on registered nurses without adequate alignment with education, competence, and organizational support. Despite extensive responsibilities for clinical assessment, decision-making, and prioritization, registered nurses have limited influence over organizational conditions, creating an asymmetry between responsibility and authority. These findings suggest a need for improved alignment between roles, competence, and organizational support.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12875-026-03364-9.

Humans generally posit that contrary mental states are unlikely to co-exist within a single mind. We tested the early ontogeny of this assumption in two domains: action and communication. Studies 1A and 1B tested whether 9-month-old infants assume that agents act coherently. Infants watched interactions between two hands whose owner(s) were invisible. In the contrary goals condition, the hand performed contrary actions—one hand reached for an object while the other impeded it. Later, during test trials, infants learned that the hands belonged to one or two people. Looking-time patterns across the contrary goals and a baseline conditions indicated that clear goal conflict led infants to infer two agents, suggesting they viewed it as unlikely for a single person to thwart their own goal. Study 2 tested whether infants assume communicative coherence, testing whether they assume that a single informant is unlikely to entertain and communicate conflicting information while two informants might do so. Informants pointed to indicate a toy’s location to 15-month-olds. When two different informants each pointed to a different place, infants did not follow one pointing gesture more than the other. However, when a single informant pointed successively to two locations, infants followed the second gesture, implying they viewed it as an updated, not contradictory, message. Thus, infants assumed that a single informant is unlikely to contradict themselves (i.e., by asserting that a toy is simultaneously in two locations). These findings reveal an early-emerging assumption of psychological coherence in infants’ representation of other minds, across both action and communication contexts.

This study investigates the sociopolitical processes underlying the development and approval of marketing budgets in large multinational corporations. While prior research has focused extensively on optimizing the level and allocation of marketing budgets, little attention has been paid to the internal organizational dynamics that shape the marketing budgeting process. Drawing on the theories-in-use of both CMOs and CEOs, this study examines how these executives co-develop a calibrated marketing budget (CMKB) - a budget that aligns expected performance with allocated resources through an iterative, participative process. Field data show that CMOs deploy a set of signals to assuage CEO concerns related to goal conflict and information asymmetry. These signals reflect both the quality (e.g., granularity, opportunity elaboration, threat mitigation) and intentions (e.g., cultivated endorsements, relinquishment) of the CMO’s budget. In addition, the study delineates between two types of CMKBs, a Growth Focused CMKB and a Constrained CMKB, and demonstrates that the effectiveness of the quality and intent signals used by CMOs varies across them. Taken together, this study seeks to provide a theoretical foundation for advancing research on the marketing budgeting processes in organizations.

Rapid environmental degradation calls for pro-environmental behaviors (PEBs) and lifestyle changes to foster a sustainable society. Previous research has explored psychological obstacles that hinder the transformation of pro-environmental intentions into actions, utilizing the Dragons of Inaction Psychological Barriers (DIPB) scale. However, it has not yet been validated within Asian contexts. This study validates the DIPB scale and investigates the predictive roles of its five subscales for daily PEBs among Japanese (N = 443) and Chinese (N = 455) samples. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated a good model fit in both countries, affirming the scale’s cross-cultural applicability. Psychological barriers differed not only across various behaviors but also between the two countries. In Japan, the barriers to meat reduction were notably lower compared to most of the other behaviors tested. Regression analyses demonstrated that Change Unnecessary and Conflicting Goals and Aspirations significantly predicted lower PEBs in Japan and China, respectively. Unexpectedly, Tokenism was positively correlated with PEBs in both samples. Implications for future research and culturally sensitive interventions are discussed.

Psychological courage (PC)-the disposition to act despite fear and anxiety-has been proposed as a protective factor in the stress process, yet its role within Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory (RST) remains unclear. Within RST, dispositional Behavioural Inhibition System (BIS) sensitivity reflects proneness to anxiety during goal conflict and may increase vulnerability to stress over time. Rather than reducing anxiety, PC may buffer how BIS-related anxiety translates into changes in perceived stress. We tested this proposition in a two-wave panel study (62-day interval) using a nationwide Polish sample (N = 516). A moderation model predicted change in perceived stress from T1 BIS, T1 PC, and their interaction. Results showed that BIS predicted increases in perceived stress, and this association was weaker at higher levels of PC. These findings extend cross-sectional work by demonstrating a boundary condition role for PC in the stress process.

In the context of manufacturing logistics, this study sheds light on the difficult task of concurrently optimizing cost, time, influence on sustainability, and spatial efficiency. Specifically, this addresses the integrated challenge of material handling equipment selection and facility space allocation, a crucial decision-making domain where conventional single-objective methodologies frequently overlook vital considerations. While recent research predominantly relies on meta-heuristics and simulation-based solution methodologies, they do not guarantee a global optimum solution space. To effectively address this multifaceted decision environment, a Mixed-Integer Linear Programming (MILP) model is developed and resolved utilizing two distinct scalarization methodologies: the conventional ϵ-constraint method and the augmented ϵ-constraint method (AUGMECON2). The comparative analysis indicates that although both methods effectively identify the Pareto front, the AUGMECON2 approach offers a more robust assurance of solution efficiency by incorporating slack variables. The results illustrate a convex trade-off between capital expenditure and operational flow time, indicating that substantial reductions in time necessitate strategic investments in higher-capacity equipment fleets. Furthermore, the analysis underscores a significant conflict between achieving extreme operational efficiency and adhering to facility design standards, as reducing time or energy consumption beyond a specific point requires deviations from optimal space allocation policies. Ultimately, a “Best Compromise Solution” is determined that harmonizes near-optimal operational efficiency with strict compliance to spatial constraints, providing a resilient framework for sustainable manufacturing logistical planning.

ABSTRACT Teachers in Finnish early childhood education and care (ECEC) are recognised as pedagogical experts within their teams. While interest in teachers’ leadership roles has grown, the concept of team leadership in ECEC remains underexplored, despite teachers’ leadership being recognised as significant to ensuring teams’ well-functioning and high-quality ECEC. This study examines teachers’ team leadership through the lens of positive leadership. The study addresses two research questions: (1) What factors constitute positive team leadership based on the Team Leadership Questionnaire (TLQ), and to what extent are these factors interrelated? (2) What differences in positive team leadership based on the TLQ can be identified using demographic groups? The data consist of responses from 1,221 ECEC teachers working in teams, collected through discretionary sampling from 66 municipalities in Finland in 2022. The data were analysed using the Jamovi program and structural equation modelling. The findings indicate that positive team leadership, as measured by the TLQ, comprises five key factors: shared goals, helping and problem-solving, encouraging self-leadership, solving conflicts, and developing team activities. The study highlights the practical orientation of team leadership: team leaders advance development primarily through hands-on support and problem-solving, rather than relying solely on goal setting or conflict management.

Logistics costs account for up to 75% of the price of African goods, making them a greater trade barrier in Africa than tariffs and trade restrictions. Improving delivery efficiency is therefore critical for enhancing trade competitiveness. This paper examines the effectiveness of West African ports as a hub, proposing an asymmetric hub system that links West Africa, Europe, and South Americas transatlantic supply chain, and compares it with a traditional multi-gateway configuration. A multi-objective optimization approach based on the e-constraint method is adopted to generate the Pareto frontier between conflicting liner shipping goals- cost reduction, environmental sustainability, and on-time service performance. The results highlight a strong empirical correlation between emissions reduction, fuel efficiency, and liners tactical decisions, contrasting on-time/ cost performance. This finding predicts liner's support for a higher probability of failure for on-time delivery under energy efficiency scenarios, whereas the opposite is also true, that is, improving customer service for high pollution. However, given the above goal conflicts, the analysis reveals a clear macro-level tradeoff between hubbing and de-hubbing strategies. Overall, the results suggest that adopting an asymmetric hub system can enhance West Africa trade competitiveness and sustainability. These insights should encourage policymakers to prioritize strategic hub-port investments and provide liner operators with a set of Pareto-optimal solutions for redesigning logistical networks that better balance cost, service, and environmental performance across the transatlantic supply chain.

In high-pressure university settings characterized by goal conflict and time pressure, health behaviors are often deprioritized. Grounded in the Theory of Planned Behavior and Goal Conflict Theory, this study employed a 2 (goal conflict: high vs. low) × 2 (time pressure: high vs. low) × 4 (time: Week 1-4) mixed experimental design to examine the dynamic evolution of health behavior motivation under dual stress conditions. A total of 88 college students were tracked over four weeks, with repeated measures of their intention and attitude toward executing health behaviors. Results revealed a significant linear decline in implementation attitudes over time, while behavioral intention remained relatively stable. Both high goal conflict and high time pressure independently suppressed motivation, and group differences widened over time. Notably, a significant three-way interaction emerged, with the high-conflict/high-pressure group exhibiting the steepest motivational decline. These findings illuminate the dissipative dynamics of health behavior motivation under cognitive and temporal constraints, extend temporal models of behavioral motivation, and offer theoretical foundations for time management interventions and health promotion strategies in academic environments.

BackgroundThe goals of medical insurance fund supervision will influence the selection of supervisory methods and their effectiveness. This study aims to identify the multiple goals of China’s medical insurance fund supervision and to examine the hierarchy and proximity among these goals.Methods133 national-level policies related to the goals of medical insurance fund supervision in China were selected. Frequency ranking and social network analysis were used to explore the hierarchical relationships among these goals. The Ochiai coefficient in the similarity matrix was used to assess the proximity. Clustering analysis was performed via the generation of a dendrogram, while multidimensional scaling was applied to validate the clustering results.ResultsFund security was the most frequently cited goal (11.01%) among the 84 goals, followed by ending insurance fraud (8.55%) and protecting the rights and interests of citizens (6.38%). Efficiency and economy-related goals, such as fund security and intelligence, were prioritized over public-oriented goals like social participation and justice. The correlation coefficients among the goals ranged from 0.000 to 0.602, with the strongest association observed between fairness and justice (r = 0.602).ConclusionsThe supervision of China’s medical insurance fund involves diverse goals that are interrelated and centered on the core objectives of ensuring fund security, combating medical insurance fraud, and safeguarding citizens’ rights and interests. They can be distilled into five categories: fairness, citizenship, efficiency, administration, and social welfare. These findings can provide empirical evidence for the governance of goal conflicts in medical insurance fund supervision and the construction of an assessment framework for supervisory efforts.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12913-025-13775-6.

Managing competing goals is a pervasive aspect of Air Traffic Controllers’ work. This activity is often viewed in the context of trade-offs (e.g. between safety and efficiency goals). Studying goal trade-offs has significantly shaped our understanding of safety in Air Traffic Control (ATC) and other complex systems. However, most contemporary accounts generally fail to provide a clear definition of the nature of goal trade-offs and the mechanism by which they operate. This paper: (1) categorises goal trade-offs into three forms: sacrificial, prioritised, and balanced; and (2) examines potential mechanisms of goal trade-off. We conclude that the traditional utility theory approach is unlikely to work in complex, real-world domains such as air traffic control. Instead, it seems that goals are treated as constraints and that conflicts are resolved through plan selection using constraint satisfaction and constructed choice. This theory aligns well with accounts of naturalistic decision-making that emphasise the significance of intuitive decision processes. By clearly defining and integrating this mechanism into ATC decision-making models, we can avoid the common mischaracterisation of goal conflict resolution in complex, dynamic environments as a rational, utility-maximising choice or trade-off.

Our aim in this study was to gain further insight into the way emerging adults with type 1 diabetes experience and manage conflicts between their desire to take good care of their diabetes and reaching daily goals in other life domains. Participants were recruited from 3 locations of a Dutch type 1 diabetes care and research centre until researchers considered data saturation to have been reached. Sixteen emerging adults were interviewed and completed a diary for 3 days. Interview transcripts were analyzed by 2 researchers, using directed content analysis. Participants had daily conflicts between self-management and attaining goals in various life domains (including food, alcohol, sports, school/work, and leisure activities); social goals figured prominently. Generally, participants first tried to combine their diabetes goal and other goals by means of flexible self-care supported by modern technology, thorough planning, and social support. When combining was not possible, most participants tended to prioritize nondiabetes goals, unless they perceived a high risk for adverse health outcomes. Prioritization of diabetes goals, as well as nondiabetes goals, often resulted in negative emotions such as sadness and guilt. For emerging adults, good care of diabetes is a challenge to undertake while also addressing other goals of daily life. Combination and prioritization strategies both play a role in efforts to deal with these goal conflicts, although the latter often trigger negative emotions. The present findings can be used for the optimization of diabetes self-management support by taking the broader life context into account.

ABSTRACT This research develops a qualitative framework integrating Threat and Error Management (TEM) with Safety II principles, demonstrating how transitioning from “what went wrong” to “how work usually goes right” enhances accident investigation practice. Current accident investigation approaches identify failures but overlook how crews using similar decision‐making procedures achieve successful outcomes under comparable conditions. Traditional TEM analysis and Safety II principles have been applied separately, with limited research exploring their retrospective integration. The research employs a qualitative two‐stage methodology integrating traditional TEM analysis with Safety II principles through interpretive analysis of operational behaviours. Stage one employs conventional TEM analysis to identify threats, errors, and undesired aircraft states. Stage two integrates Safety II principles through Work‐as‐Imagined versus Work‐as‐Done analysis, Performance Variability Assessment, and Critical Decision Point Analysis. The Air India Express VT‐AYA runway excursion (2019) serves as the case study. Out of 18 identified TEM categories, 55% were managed effectively, and of the nine crew adaptation patterns, 67% represented beneficial or neutral performance variability, enhancing safety outcomes. Systematic breakdown occurred only when organisational goal conflicts exceeded the boundary where approximate adjustments could bridge procedural assumptions and operational reality, validating the Safety II principle that success and failure conditions are fundamentally similar. Integrated TEM and Safety II analysis reveals additional dimensions, goal conflicts, efficiency‐thoroughness trade‐offs, and adaptive capacity boundaries that conventional methods systematically overlook. While traditional TEM identifies what went wrong (threats, errors, undesired states), Safety‐II integration explains why the same adaptive processes that routinely ensure safety encountered systemic boundaries in this instance. The integrated methodology provides investigators a practical tool to operationalise Safety II principles. This approach contributes to the understanding of accident investigation from failure analysis to normal adaptive processes across high‐risk industries.

Ultimatums are a consequential yet underexamined conflict strategy. While often perceived as a distributive tactic, they can also function as pivotal moments of boundary-setting and relational transformation. Despite their presence in compliance-gaining, negotiation, and reconciliation literature, little is known about how ultimatums operate in serial arguments within close relationships. Thus, we engaged the serial argument process model to (1) examine the conditions that contribute to the use of ultimatums in serial arguments, (2) explore the associations between ultimatums and relationship outcomes, and (3) compare the use of ultimatums in romantic relationships and friendships. Using multi-group path analyses, we found that although ultimatums may be employed in both dating and friendship contexts, their usage and associated outcomes are related to factors such as conflict goals, perceived resolvability, and the appropriateness and effectiveness of ultimatum use. These findings have implications for conflict theory and provide guidance for conflict resolution within close relationships.

The tourism industry has flourished due to its positive impact on well-being. However, tourists often face choices between different goals. Conflicts among goals may negatively affect their well-being, whereas research on this negative effect remains limited. This study used three imagination-based scenario experiments to explore how goal conflict affects tourist well-being. The results show that goal conflict negatively affects tourist well-being, with ego depletion and self-regulation failure serially mediating this effect. The moderating role of mindfulness was also examined. Mindfulness weakens the effect of goal conflict on ego depletion, thereby reducing its negative impact on tourist well-being. This study helps broaden knowledge of the antecedents that may negatively affect tourist well-being. It also provides new insights for tourism management practice, helping design experiences that better support tourist well-being.

This study examines the various ways that violent and competitive video games affect teenagers' behavior and mental health, emphasizing the psychological processes involved. Players are mostly influenced by competitive games through emotional channels; goal conflict and dissatisfaction can lead to rage, animosity, and emotional collapses like "tilt." Studies using survey, neurological, and longitudinal methods consistently demonstrate that competition creates peer cultures focused on rankings and performance and increases sensitivity to aggressive cues. Conversely, violent games use cognitive-learning pathways to impact players, normalizing violent attitudes, desensitizing empathy, and reinforcing aggressive scripts through frequent engagement, rewards, and identification with violent characters. Peer contagion and family strife can exacerbate these symptoms, which can spread socially. While both are important, comparative studies show that violent material has a greater and more direct impact on aggression than competition. The significance of developing emotional control for competitive play, creating safe and nurturing family situations to prevent violent influences, and promoting responsible game design are all highlighted by the practical consequences. The assessment comes to the conclusion that in order to steer parents, educators, legislators, and developers toward healthier gaming behaviors and better-informed future research, nuanced distinctions—rather than crude conclusions—are crucial.

Background: Goal setting has always been a crucial management factor for workforce motivation and is quite complex due to multiple goal characteristics. Considering that the emergence of Quiet Quitting (QQ) has inflicted harm on employees’ mental well-being in the healthcare field, urgent attention needs to be paid to the impact of goal setting on QQ. This study aimed to assess the current state of work goal setting and QQ among primary health professionals and to explore the effect of goal characteristics on QQ. Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed among 520 primary health professionals from 11 primary health centers. The Modified Goal Setting Scale and Quiet Quitting Scale were utilized to measure goal characteristics and QQ. Descriptive analysis, cluster analysis, and multiple regression were used for statistical analysis. Results: The mean score of QQ was 2.12. The eight goal characteristics were clustered into five categories. Among them, two categories demonstrated significant negative effects on QQ: Goal Specificity and Identity (Category 1; β = −0.096, p < 0.05) and Goal Fulfillment and Organizational Support (Category 2; β = −0.466, p < 0.001). Conversely, three categories showed significant positive effects: Goal Difficulty (Category 3; β = 0.112, p < 0.05), Goal Attainability (Category 4; β = 0.142, p < 0.01), and Goal Conflict (Category 5; β = 0.185, p < 0.001). Conclusions: The phenomenon of QQ requires attention among Chinese primary health professionals. Setting work goals scientifically may prove to be beneficial in curbing its spread. From a practical perspective, goal setting should be specific, moderately challenging, yet attainable, recognized and accepted by employees, and strongly supported by the organization. This approach is valuable for reducing QQ and fostering supportive work environments in primary healthcare. It should be noted, however, that while this study identifies significant associations, its cross-sectional design precludes causal inference, and the findings are context-specific to Chinese primary healthcare institutions.

ABSTRACT This study examines how governments manipulate data in response to performance feedback under conflicting goals. Based on a game-theoretic framework and panel data from 168 Chinese cities between 2014 and 2019, we find that governments often seek to secure success in at least one policy area by inflating or suppressing performance data. These behaviors reflect both positive and negative data manipulation. The study contributes to the theoretical understanding of how performance feedback influences gaming behavior in public management and highlights the strategic responses of governments under competing goals.

Recipient-brand value misalignment: How corporate sociopolitical activism reshapes gift giving decisions