Causes, Costs, and Caveats

Abstract

Abstract Goal contents theory (GCT) is the fifth of SDT’s mini-theories and describes the associations between the content of people’s life aspirations and their well-being, the links between which are understood to be mediated by basic psychological need satisfactions and frustrations. Intrinsic aspirations—typically for personal growth, affiliation, community giving, and physical health—inherently satisfy basic psychological needs and, therefore, bolster wellness. Conversely, extrinsic aspirations—most commonly for wealth, fame, and beauty—do not directly satisfy needs and, in some cases, actively frustrate them, thus compromising well-being. This chapter reviews the eight basic propositions and evidence base of GCT, with an emphasis on recent investigations. It introduces seven additional “candidate” propositions, or ideas that have emerged in the GCT literature, the generalizability and universality of which remain to be comprehensively tested. The chapter concludes by detailing some caveats of which researchers should be cognizant, while highlighting important future directions for this universally relevant and highly reliable theory.