Internalizing introjected goals through reflective writing

Abstract

How do individuals internalize goals that are self-set? Research on this topic is rather limited, and this study examined whether writing exercises that encourage self-reflection about an academic goal would increase internalization towards the goal, as compared to writing about a control topic (daily plans). Participants (n = 104) were assigned to write about one of the topics once a week for three weeks, but results show no main effect differences between the two writing conditions in increase in internalization or other goal outcomes. Further analyses revealed that the self-reflective writing may be beneficial to individuals with higher ACT scores. The importance of the match between goal level and skill level is discussed.