Implementation intentions

Abstract

Implementation intentions are “if-then” plans that define in advance how a goal will be pursued when encountering critical situations. They increase the likelihood of goal attainment by harnessing automaticity of action and through formation of strong associations between situational cues and goal-directed responses. The strength of associations and automaticity mediates the impact on goal attainment. There are moderating factors of implementation intentions, which include consistency with top goals, degree of commitment, strength of associations, and aspects of personal attributes. Different types of implementation intentions have been found to facilitate getting started, staying on track, disengaging from futile goals and means, and avoiding resource depletion. Implementation intentions are effective for behavior change when combined with other strategies such as mental contrasting, which promotes strong goal commitments. – AI-generated abstract.