Behavioral Consistency and Inconsistency in the Resolution of Goal Conflict

Abstract

During the course of a day, consumers experience choices that involve goal conflict (e.g., eat tasty vs. healthy food, recreate vs. work, relax vs. act). In some cases, an initial behavior is followed by a similar behavior. In other cases, an initial behavior is followed by an opposing behavior. We posit that a passive guidance system can nonconsciously guide behavior when there is goal conflict and, hence, determine whether a sequence of behaviors will be consistent or inconsistent. The passive guidance system is sensitive to whether a current behavior sustains goal activation and encourages similar future behaviors or results in goal achievement and encourages dissimilar future behaviors. Eight experiments provide evidence for this passive guidance system.