Social goals: A historical overview

Abstract

The history of social goals began decades ago in the psychological literature. Over time, several different goal paradigms emerged building from drive theory, goal approach, and self-determination theory. This chapter discusses the historical origins and current research from these distinct paradigms. Then, the chapter includes possible areas of future research. Specifically, the chapter discusses how multiple goals might occur among and within social and academic goals, the development of social goals over time, and the antecedents of social goals. These areas of future research highlight the growth of the relatively nascent domain of social goals in school.