Investigating goal conflict as a source of mixed emotions

Abstract

This research investigated whether (1) the experience of mixed emotions is a consequence of activating conflicting goals and (2) mixed emotions are distinct from emotional conflict. A preliminary experiment (Study 1, N = 35) showed that an elicited goal conflict predicted more mixed emotions than a condition where the same goals were not in conflict. The second experiment was based on naturally occurring goal activation (Study 2, N = 57). This illustrated that mixed emotions were experienced more following conflicting goals compared with a facilitating goals condition—on both a direct self-report measure of mixed emotions and a minimum index measure. The results also showed that mixed emotions were different to emotional conflict. Overall, goal conflict was found to be a source of mixed emotions, and it is feasible that such states have a role in resolving personal dilemmas.

Keywords:

• Goal conflict
• Mixed emotions
• Mixed feelings
• Emotional complexity

Notes

¹ Several participants' responses during the first days of testing were not recorded by the system because of a programming error, so it was not possible to include them in the final sample.

² Original item numbers extracted from King and Emmons (1990) were 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 11, 15, 23, 26 and 28.