Table of Contents

Personality (GAS)

The goal-oriented personality traits of adult Lifelines participants (section: mental health) were assessed in follow-up questionnaire 1C using the Goal Disengagement and Goal Reengagement Scale (GAS) 1).
Note that personality traits were also assessed in Lifelines using the ASI, the NEO, and the Type D instruments.
Moreover, various personality traits (hostility, reward sensitivity) were assessed in the context of an an additional questionnaire on ADHD.

Background

Goal adjustment tendency, as measured by the GAS, has been found to predict mental and physical health in both healthy populations (e.g. students) and clinical populations (e.g. patients with a chronic medical condition). The GAS may be used to explain why people show differences in well-being, despite experiencing similar disease severity or life stressors.

Scoring

A syntax to score the results of the GAS is available at Lifelines.
Respondents are asked how strongly the 10 statements in the GAS applies to them on a 5-point Likert scale where 1 = almost never true and 5 = almost always true.
The 10 items in the GAS are distributed over 2 subscales:

Note: the individual components of goal disengagement and goal re-engagement are hardly ever studied. Studies tend to focus on the two subscales.

Validity

The psychometric qualities of the Goal Adjustment Scale have been evaluated in a sample of 115 undergraduate students, a sample of 120 adults from the general population and a sample of 45 parents of children undergoing treatment for cancer (Wrosch et al., 2003). In all three samples, findings were consistent with hypotheses which suggests good construct validity. The tendency to disengage from unattainable goals was associated with higher levels of well-being. Furthermore, the tendency to reengage in new goals predicted well-being above and beyond the ease of abandoning unattainable goals. Since the GAS could not be compared to a gold standard, the criterion validity of this instrument could not be examined.

Variables

Questions English Questions Dutch Variable Assessment Age
If I have to stop pursuing an important goal in my life, … Als ik een belangrijk doel niet langer meer kan bereiken …
…it's easy for me to reduce my effort towards the goal …is het gemakkelijk voor mij om mijn inspanningen voor dit doel te verminderen GAS1 1C 18+
…I convince myself that I have other meaningful goals to pursue. …overtuig ik mezelf ervan dat ik andere zinvolle doelen heb die ik kan nastreven GAS2 1C 18+
…I stay committed to the goal for a long time; I can't let it go. …blijf ik nog lang toegewijd aan het doel; ik kan het niet loslaten GAS3 1C 18+
…I start working on other new goals. …begin ik met het nastreven van andere nieuwe doelen GAS4 1C 18+
…I think about other new goals to pursue. …denk ik na over andere nieuwe doelen die ik kan nastreven GAS5 1C 65+
…I find it difficult to stop trying to achieve the goal. …vind ik het moeilijk om te stoppen met het nastreven van dit doel GAS6 1C 65+
…I seek other meaningful goals. …zoek ik andere belangrijke doelen GAS7 1C 65+
…it's easy for me to stop thinking about the goal and let it go. …vind ik het gemakkelijk om niet meer aan het doel te denken en het los te laten GAS8 1C 18+
…I tell myself that I have a number of other new goals to draw upon. …bedenk ik me dat ik andere zinvolle doelen heb om na te streven GAS9 1C 18+
…I put effort toward other meaningful goals. …stop ik energie in het streven naar andere belangrijke doelen GAS10 1C 18+
1)
Wrosch, C., Scheier, M. F., Miller, G. E., Schulz, R., & Carver, C. S. (2003). Adaptive self-regulation of unattainable goals: Goal disengagement, goal reengagement, and subjective well-being. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 29, 1494-1508.