Using free will wisely: The importance of self-concordant goal pursuit

Choosing life goals can be difficult. To be self-concordant means to have chosen goals that well represent one's implicit motives and growth potentials, rather than having chosen unfulfilling goals that waste one's precious time. This article starts with a historical review of the self-concordance concept, first discussing how it is measured, then summarizing Sheldon's early findings. Next, we describe some current research in our lab. One question we are studying asks, “is self-concordance more about fit (when the goal matches the deep self) or grit (when the person pushes on resolutely, match or not)?” Another question being studied asks, “how can people get their non-conscious minds to provide them with new insights, about more self-concordant ways of living?” In the second part of the article, we provide a novel perspective on the free will question, drawing from a hierarchical model of the top-down organization of human reality. Based on that model (and other considerations) we argue that free will is real, and that our real problem is in using it wisely (i.e., self-concordantly). Next, we explain why choosing lifegoals is so difficult: because goal-selection takes place in verbal system 2, which is somewhat cut off from our implicit inclinations down in system 1. People live inside of “symbolic selves,” which are free to diverge from who they really are. Finally, we present several research-based techniques for becoming more self-concordant—ways that people can come to learn what they really want, not just what they think they want.