NVC and Crocker's research on Egosystem and Ecosystem goals

Here's an email I sent in response to emailing my Nonviolent Communication community about Clean Talk (with the text from my previous blogpost which elicited a reply that I responded to with this blogpost):

You used the word "ecology" in your reply, and that got me thinking about a talk I went to by Jennifer Crocker where I learned about remarkable effects her research found with first semester college students and the goals they set for themselves weekly...and the effects they found include effects on goal progress on learning-oriented achievement goals, self-regulation, and decreased symptoms of depression and anxiety...

I hadn't thought about NVC and this talk before in the same breath. There's good reasons to be looking to hold the space for everyone's needs getting met...and I'm now seeing that some of those reasons are backed up by solid research... 

Here are the two categories of goals that they looked at.

Egosystem motivational perspective based on self-image goals

Based on broad range of self-oriented goals related to constructing, maintaining, enhancing, and defending self- images.

Ecosystem motivational perspective based on compassionate (contribution) goals

Motivation focused on what one wants to give, contribute, or create for others and for the self.

Here's what their research found.

People with compassionate goals feel clear and connected, cooperative, close, and have less conflict. They experience increased social support, trust, learning-oriented achievement goals, self-regulation, and goal progress, and decreased symptoms of depression and anxiety. Compassionate goals help people see the resources that are already available to them, and create more resources. People with self-image goals feel afraid, confused, and competitive, lonely, and have more conflict.

If you want to read more about what they found...the above excerpt is from the end of the article that you can go to with this URL that takes you straight to the section near the end of the article (Note you can chop off the last bit starting with the # if you want to go to the beginning of the article): https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3017354/#S12title

Here are the components of clear and connected vs afraid and confused that they measured and then did factor analysis on:
clear and connected (comprising peaceful, connected to others, cooperative, loving, clear, present, empathic, and engaged; α = .91), and afraid and confused (comprising fearful, ambivalent/conflicted, pressured, distracted, confused, critical, isolated, and competitive; α = .90).

Leeann