Research

In his research, supported by NIH, NSF, the German Research Foundation, and the Humboldt Foundation, Peter Gollwitzer examines how goals and plans affect people’s cognition, affect, and behavior.

He has developed various models of action control: the Theory of Symbolic Self-Completion (with Robert A. Wicklund), the Rubicon Model of Action Phases (with Heinz Heckhausen), the Auto-Motive Model of Automatic Goal Striving (with John A. Bargh), the Mindset Model of Action Phases, and the Theory of Implementation Intentions. In these theories, the underlying mechanisms of effective action control are delineated and respective moderators are distilled. His recent research focuses on developing easy to conduct but powerful behavior change interventions.

Throughout his academic career, Gollwitzer has published journal articles, book chapters, books, and edited volumes that had an impact on the different fields of psychology and beyond.