A meta-analytic review and conceptual model of the antecedents and outcomes of goal adjustment in response to striving difficulties

There is growing interest in how and why individuals adjust their goals in response to difficulties encountered during goal striving and the outcomes of such adjustments; however, research on these topics is fragmented across theoretical perspectives and life domains. To address this issue, we conducted a systematic search of databases (Web of Science, Scopus, PsycInfo, Business Source Ultimate, Proquest Dissertations and Theses Global, Medline; last updated May 2025) of empirical studies examining antecedents or outcomes of goal adjustment. Studies were eligible if they examined predictors or wellbeing/functional/goal-related outcomes of goal disengagement, goal reengagement, or goal-striving flexibility. We identified 1,421 effect sizes from 235 studies, which we categorized and mapped onto a conceptual model. Further, we used random-effects meta-analyses to examine the strength and direction of associations between model categories and goal adjustment variables. Despite relatively high-quality ratings (assessed using QualSyst), the overall standard of accumulated evidence was determined to be low to moderate due to the reliance on cross-sectional studies, risk of publication bias and high heterogeneity. Nonetheless, we identified associations between multiple antecedent categories and goal disengagement, reengagement and flexibility, as well as associations between these different aspects of goal adjustment and wellbeing, functional and goal-related outcomes. We conclude that different aspects of goal adjustment are predicted by unique combinations of antecedent variables, and predict distinct outcomes. Our conceptual model consolidates the literature on goal adjustment and provides a roadmap for a more systematic investigation of this field going forward.