关键词: 自控行为, 趋近方式, 回避方式, 目标进展, 目标追求动机

Abstract:

Consumers’ self-control behavior is closely related to their goal achievement, however, there is no consensus on whether consumers’ consumption of self-control resources will promote or inhibit their subsequent goal pursuit motivation in the process of goalpursuit. Due to fact that the objective of the consumption process is continuous, previous behavior related to goals will affect the subsequent behavior. Related researches have focused on the influence of consumers’ self-control behavior of approach goal activity on subsequent goal motivation and goal behavior, and less on the influence of consumers’ self-control behavior of avoiding goal obstacle. In fact, in the process of the goal pursuit, consumers not only need to mobilize self-control resources to approachgoal activities to achieve the goal, such as consumers with fitness goals must going to the gym to achieve their goal, but them also need to mobilize resources to deal with the obstacles related to the goal, such as consumers with fitness goals resisting the temptation of delicious food with high-calorie. Therefore, in order to understand the influence of consumers’ previous self-control behavior on the subsequent goal-pursuing motivation and goalbehavior, it is necessary to expand from the way to use self-control to approach the goal to the way to use self-control to avoid goal obstacle. Starting from consumers’ self-control in pursuit of goals, this study discusses and distinguishes two different ways of self-control behavior: approach vs. avoidance. The former focus on approaching positive behaviors to achieve goals, while the latter focuson the avoidance of competitive goals(such as temptation). This research also discusses the effect of the interaction between different ways of self-control behavior and goal progress on consumers’ goal pursuit motivation. Through three experiments, it is found that, under the low goal progress, compared with the avoidance behavior, previous self-control behavior in approach way will promote consumers’ current goal pursuit motivation, and this promotion effect is mediated by the perceived attainability of the goal. Under the high goal progress, compared with the approach way, the previous self-control behavior in avoidance way can promote consumers’ current goal pursuit motivation, and this effect is mediated by the perceived goal commitment. Time(recalling the past vs. anticipating the future) moderates the interaction betweendifferent ways of self-control behavior and the goal progress. The conclusion of this study provides a reference for enterprises to better manage consumers’ self-control resources to motivate consumers to achieve a certain goal.

Key words: Self-control Behavior, Approach Way, Avoidance Way, Goal Progress, Goal Pursuit Motivation