Self-concordance, Conditional Goal Setting, Self-esteem & Subjective Well-being: Using PLS-SEM Model. (partial least squares structural equation modeling)

Introduction

As work becomes the fundamental aspect of life to meet several personal needs, people are now generally spending a substantial part of their lives at the workplace. It is therefore not surprising that work relates significantly to the overall well-being of the person (Bowling, Eschleman & Wang, 2010). Henceforth, a positive link has been found between the wellbeing of employees and their performance. Apparently, subjective well-being has become prominent, which is also measured through happiness and life satisfaction. It is evident that the perception of progress toward goals is associated with one's subjective well-being, especially when that progress leads to increased well-being by fulfilling an individual's needs (Sheldon & Kasser, 1998). Adherence to goals that have been thought of as intrinsic motivation rather than from external pressures is known as self-concordance (Sheldon, Goffredi & Schlegel, 2023). Goals, which are pursued in a self-concordant, are integrated with the self and therefore emerge directly from self-choice. As a result, when a person strives for this because of a strong interest, the goals are likely to receive sustainable attention and are more satisfying. Here self-concordance serves a positive affect and leads to increased subjective well-being. However, the non-concordant motives fail to promote subjective well-being because here external forces project goals and, in such cases, the person does not give full assent (Kramer & Petzoldt, 2022). Hence, subjective well-being is predominantly conditioned by goal setting. Furthermore, when an individual is able to attain the desired goal, it gives rise to self-worth. According to social identity theory (Tajfel et al., 1986), perception of self-worth, defined as self-esteem, is an essential aspect of self and the evaluation of the self in this process would contribute to subjective well-being. It pertains to an individual's perception of the quality of work life, which involves cognitive evaluation, i.e., satisfaction, and emotional reaction, i.e., positive affectivity. Literary subjective well-being is the combination of positive affect and satisfaction (Fumagalli & Fumagalli, 2022). Thus, self-esteem is directly associated with subjective well-being. From this discussion, we can interpret the triangle relationship (fig. 1) between self-concordance, self-esteem, and subjective well-being which get Goal Attainment.

Self-esteem and subjective well-being have been extensively studied (Du, King & Chi, 2017) and so has been the linkage between self-concordance and subjective well-being (Sheldon & Houser-Marko, 2001). The triangle relationship between self-concordance, self-esteem, and subjective well-being which was discussed earlier has not been empirically established regarding personal goals. The purpose of the present study is to quantitatively document this linkage. In addition, here we are considering the moderating effect of conditional goal setting on the relationship between self-concordance and self-esteem.

Literature Review

A variety of studies have shown that workers' performance is one of the consequences of their well-being (Adam, 2019; Kundi et al., 2021). While understanding the conceptual background of well-being two approaches emerged: the hedonic tradition and the eudemonic tradition (Joshanloo & Weijers, 2019). The former comprises happiness and satisfaction which accentuated constructs such as happiness, positive affect, low negative affect, and satisfaction with life (Kumagai & Nagasawa, 2022); and the latter emphasizes positive psychological functioning and human development (Wong, 2011). However, psychological well-being and subjective well-being (SWB) sound very similar and are often used interchangeably, which is not true. Psychological well-being refers to an individual's overall state of mental health and happiness. On the contrary, subjective well-being primarily considers the affective state (Deiner, Suh, Lucas & Smith, 1999). SWB comprises three important dimensions: positive affection, negative affection, and life satisfaction (Garcia, Nima & Kjell, 2014). When someone is pursuing goals that are in line with their true self, they experience a higher level of self-concordance. This alignment fosters intrinsic motivation, persistence, and a sense of fulfillment in goal pursuit. Research has shown a positive relationship between SWB and self-concordance. Self-concordance involves setting and pursuing goals that are inherently meaningful and satisfying to individuals, in line with one's authentic self. This authenticity promotes a sense of congruence and integrity, which contributes to their well-being (Sheldon, Goffredi & Schlegel, 2023). When individuals are true to themselves and are driven by intrinsic motivation, which arises from personal interest, enjoyment, and a sense of competence, they experience greater satisfaction and happiness. Thus, when individuals pursue self-concordant goals, they are more likely to make progress and achieve them. This progress and goal accomplishment are linked to increased self-esteem, self-efficacy, and a sense of competence, which contribute to well-being (Patrasc-Lungu & Iliescu, 2022). Contrarily, pursuing goals that are incongruent with one's values or interests can lead to internal conflict and stress (Chan & Hedden, 2023).

Self-concordance & Self-esteem

Self-esteem is the psychological aspect that reflects a person's overall evaluation of his/her worth (Earl, 2023). It is the human tendency to compare and differentiate oneself from others and also make assumptions to value oneself. This is a voluntary aspect of our personality to always do self-scrutiny and self-evaluation. It is often also found that if one perceives himself as competent in one domain, generally he will be found weak in others. Here people not only judge themselves in comparison to others but also assess their value by assessing their job performance. Earlier studies have revealed that people who possess higher achievement motives generally look for moderately difficult goals and usually make decisions that have a lower risk of failure. Considering these, they are also preoccupied with those kinds of tasks, which boost their self-esteem (Chen, Sun & Wang, 2018). Finally, it is found that people with high self-esteem have higher performance expectations than those with low self-esteem. They are intrinsically triggered to work hard to achieve desired value in their own perception. No wonder, self-concordant people are more concerned about their performance and always evaluate their performance with another. Thereby, self-concordant people secure their self-esteem.

H1: Self-concordance is positively related to the self-esteem of a person at the workplace.

Conditional Goal Setting as Moderator

Pursuing intrinsically motivated goals is not the same as being pushed by external forces in terms of successful performance, goal attainment, and well-being (Sheldon, 2014). Self-generated goals or intrinsic goals have deep links with coreself. These goals represent people's real values and natural tendencies to grow and develop. Goals which contain sanctions and introjection are integrated with self. On the other hand, goals which are externally controlled are called non-concordant. Persuasion of such goals increases the risk of failure (Sheldon & Kasser, 1998) and thereby leads to negative emotions. Thus, goal attainment influences well-being considerably. Researchers have shown that successful goal attainment leads to better adjustment, increased satisfaction and makes...