Self-criticism, motivation, and goal progress of athletes and musicians: A prospective study

The current research examined the relations among self-criticism, self-concordant motivation and goal progress of athletes and musicians. The results of a short-term prospective study showed that self-criticism was negatively associated with self-concordant goal motivation and with goal progress. The effect of self-criticism on goal progress appeared to be mediated by self-concordant motivation. Results also showed that self-criticism moderated the relation of goal progress to negative affect, such that the negative affect of self-critics was contingent on their level of perceived goal progress. These findings suggest that self-criticism not only represents a risk factor in the pursuit of personal goals, but also for negative affect subsequent to setbacks in goal pursuit.