Comparing differentiation and integration within personal goal systems

Concepts of differentiation and integration were examined using the “personal striving” goal construct (Emmons, 1986, 1989). Goal differentiation was defined in two ways: 1. (a) as how dissimilar subjects rated their strivings as being (Emmons & King, 1989), and2. (b) as the amount of non-overlapping variance in subjectsʹ evaluative assessments of their strivings (Donahue, Robins, Roberts & John, 1993). Goal integration was measured as the extent to which subjects saw their strivings as helping them move towards desired “possible selves” (Markus & Nurius, 1987). Self-rated and statistically-derived differentiation measures were positively correlated with each other, and both variables were negatively correlated with integration. Also, more differentiated subjects tended to feel less successful in their strivings, whereas integrated subjects felt more successful in and more committed to their strivings. Discussion suggests that the differentiative and integrative aspects of complexity should be kept conceptually distinct.