Goals' effects on cognition, affect, and behavior

In this short article, I describe how Heinz Heckhausen kept reinforcing my interest in goal pursuit leading to research on the different cognitive features of the mindsets associated with goal striving and goal setting, and ultimately to my research on how implementation intentions (i.e., if-then plans) can facilitate goal attainment. Most importantly, Heinz Heckhausen influenced my style of doing research. He was a model for doing research in a programmatic style. He aimed for going beyond demonstrating the existence of exciting psychological phenomena by developing theories that integrate such phenomena into broader perspectives having the potential to promote the science of motivation at large.