Determination

For other uses, see Determination (disambiguation).
Remarking on the anti-Nazi resistance movement fighting during the Warsaw Uprising, Polish President Andrzej Duda has stated that "thanks to its... determination, Poland exists".[1]

Determination is a positive emotional feeling that promotes persevering towards a difficult goal in spite of obstacles.[2][3] Determination occurs prior to goal attainment and serves to motivate behavior that will help achieve one's goal.

Empirical research suggests that people consider determination to be an emotion; in other words, determination is not just a cognitive state, but an affective state.[4] In the psychology literature, researchers study determination under other terms, including challenge and anticipatory enthusiasm; this may explain one reason for the relative lack of research on determination compared to other positive emotions.[3][5]

In the field of psychology, emotion research focuses on negative emotions and the behaviors they prompt.[6] However, positive psychology delves into determination as a positive emotion driving people toward action, leading to significant results like persistence and success.

  1. ^ "President: Thanks to Warsaw Uprising fighters Poland exists". president.pl. 31 July 2019.
  2. ^ Kirby, L.D.; Morrow, J.; Yih, J. (2014). "The challenge of challenge: Pursuing determination as an emotion". In Tugade, M.M.; Shiota, M.N.; Kirby, L.D. (eds.). Handbook of Positive Emotions. New York: Guilford Publications, Inc.
  3. ^ a b Smith, C.A. (1991). "The self, appraisal, and coping". In Snyder, C.R.; Forsyth, D.R. (eds.). Handbook of Social and Clinical Psychology: The Health Perspective. New York: Pergamon press.
  4. ^ Clore, G.L.; Ortony, A.; Foss, M.A. (1987). "The psychological foundations of the affective lexicon". Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 53 (4): 751–766. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.53.4.751.
  5. ^ Griskevicius, V.; Shiota, M.N.; Neufeld, S.L. (2010). "Influence of different positive emotions on persuasion processing: A functional evolutionary approach". Emotion. 10 (2): 190–206. doi:10.1037/a0018421. PMID 20364895.
  6. ^ Fredrickson, B.L. (1998). "What good are positive emotions?". Review of General Psychology. 2 (2): 300–319. doi:10.1037/1089-2680.2.3.300. PMC 3156001. PMID 21850154.