## The Idea in Brief Motivation begins with a goal — a mental picture of where we want to be. Steel and Weinhardt argue that motivation does not unfold all at once but in stages. Their **Goal Phase System (GPS)** divides the process into three main phases — **Choice, Planning, and Striving** — with an additional **Review** phase acting as a feedback loop. The system draws on Temporal Motivation Theory and control theories, offering a practical way of mapping how people set, pursue, and reassess goals. --- ## Key Concepts ### Temporal Motivation Theory This meta-theory explains how time shapes motivation. The longer the delay before a reward, the less valuable it feels; urgency, in turn, sharpens motivation. It combines ideas of value, expectancy, delay, and impulsiveness, making sense of everyday patterns like procrastination. ### The Goal Phase System Motivation can be broken down into four connected stages: - **Goal Choice** – deciding what to pursue, balancing desirability with feasibility. - **Goal Planning** – turning intentions into concrete steps, allocating resources, and anticipating challenges. - **Goal Striving** – acting on the plan, regulating effort, and responding to setbacks. - **Goal Review (Feedback Loop)** – comparing progress with the standard, deciding whether to persist, adjust, or move on. Though not labelled as a distinct stage in the original chapter, review is central in feedback-based models and is best seen as a loop that connects back to Choice and Planning. ### Integration with Control Theories Control theories emphasise feedback, self-correction, and the reduction of gaps between current and desired states. By building these into the GPS, Steel and Weinhardt provide a framework that captures the dynamic and cyclical nature of motivation. --- The Goal Phase System is valuable not because it introduces brand-new concepts, but because it brings together diverse theories into a simple, staged process. Its strength lies in its cyclical view: motivation is never finished but constantly reviewed and reset. For both researchers and practitioners, this offers a clear map of where and how to intervene. --- ## References - Steel, P., & Weinhardt, J. M. (2018). _The building blocks of motivation: Goal phase system_. In D. S. Ones, N. Anderson, C. Viswesvaran, & H. K. Sinangil (Eds.), _The SAGE handbook of industrial, work & organizational psychology: Organizational psychology_ (2nd ed., pp. 69–96). Sage. - Steel, P. (2007). The nature of procrastination: A meta-analytic and theoretical review of quintessential self-regulatory failure. _Psychological Bulletin, 133_(1), 65–94. - Carver, C. S., & Scheier, M. F. (1998). _On the self-regulation of behavior_. Cambridge University Press. - Gollwitzer, P. M. (1999). Implementation intentions: Strong effects of simple plans. _American Psychologist, 54_(7), 493–503.