Description
Mental contrasting is an active visualization practice that allows for improving the achievement of goals. It also allows an assessment of possible obstacles and disadvantages.
Benefits
- Improves productivity
- Strengthens motivation
- Improves problem-solving skills
- Strengthens planning and anticipation skills
- May improve resilience
Required Equipment
None
How to Do It
It's a four-step exercise:
- What do you want to achieve? Answer this question, so that you can set a goal and work towards it.
- Reaching the goal. Imagine that you have already reached that goal and visualize yourself enjoying that achievement. Think about how good it will be for you.
- Here is the contrast. Finally, think about all the things that could be an obstacle. Everything that could prevent you from achieving that goal.
- Plan how you will overcome the obstacles in the item above.
After these steps, you will have more clarity about what actions to take.
Why it works
- Visualizing your goals without disconnecting from reality (with its obstacles), promotes action and motivation.
- Thinking of the obstacles helps you create better plans for achieving your goals.
- Imagining what might happen in the future stimulates your ability to solve problems. It helps create new strategies, evaluate different routes, and make more informed decisions.
Time Commitment
10-20 minutes
Suggested Frequency
Daily
Time of Day
Morning
Possible Side Effects
None known.
Notes
- You can use this exercise for any kind of goal. It can be long, medium, or short term.
- After the exercise, do something! Remember that visualization alone is not enough.
- It helps to avoid polarized thought and makes you more flexible.
Supporting Studies and Articles
Expand Collapse- Mental contrasting as a behavior change technique: a systematic review protocol paper of effects, mediators and moderators on health. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5123225/
- Mental contrasting and goal commitment: the mediating role of energization. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19213924
- Mind wandering via mental contrasting as a tool for behavior change. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00562/full
- The power of prospection: mental contrasting and behavior change. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/spc3.12271
- Promoting the Self-Regulation of Stress in Health Care Providers: An Internet-Based Intervention. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00838/full
- Perceived product creativity and mental contrasting: Desired future on consumers’ product replacement decisions. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/mar.21156
