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

摘要：

在目标追求过程中,先前的自我控制行为会影响消费者随后的目标行为。然而,已有研究主要从消费者趋近目标活动的自控行为来探讨其对后续目标动机和目标行为的影响,较少考虑消费者回避目标障碍这一自控行为的影响。本研究探讨了先前不同方式(趋近vs.回避)的自控行为对消费者目标追求动机的影响,通过三个实验表明:在低目标进展下,相较回避方式,趋近方式的自控行为更能提升消费者的感知目标可实现性,从而促进其目标追求动机;在高目标进展下,相较趋近方式,回避方式的自控行为更能提升消费者的感知目标承诺,从而促进其目标追求动机;时间(过去vs.未来)在不同方式的自控行为和目标进展的交互作用中起调节作用。研究结论为企业更好地管理消费者的自我控制资源以促使消费者的目标实现提供了参考。

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