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Implementation Intentions

🧠 Psychology By CampusDown Wiki Editorial Team Last updated
Implementation intentions are a self-regulation strategy proposed by Peter Gollwitzer: beyond a goal intention such as 'I will exercise', a person forms an if–then plan linking a specific situation to a response, such as 'If it is 6 pm on Monday, I will go to the gym'.
Contents
  1. 1. The gap
  2. 2. If–then plans
  3. 3. Effects and applications
  4. 4. FAQ
  5. 5. References

The gap

Webb and Sheeran (2006) showed large intention changes yield smaller behaviour changes, a limit of the theory of planned behaviour.

If–then plans

Gollwitzer (1999) distinguished goal intentions from implementation intentions that make situational cues trigger action automatically; Gollwitzer and Brandstätter (1997) found higher completion. This complements goal-setting theory.

Effects and applications

A meta-analysis found medium-to-large effects (Gollwitzer & Sheeran, 2006). Planning prompts raised turnout (Nickerson & Rogers, 2010) and flu vaccination (Milkman et al., 2011); Oettingen (2012) combined them with mental contrasting.

FAQ

What are they in simple terms?
Concrete plans for what you will do when a specific situation arises.
Why do they work?
The situation triggers the action, saving willpower.

Sources reviewed: 2026-10-26

References

  1. Gollwitzer, P. M., & Brandstätter, V. (1997). Implementation intentions and effective goal pursuit. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 73(1), 186–199. Early experiments.
  2. Gollwitzer, P. M. (1999). Implementation intentions: Strong effects of simple plans. American Psychologist, 54(7), 493–503. The key overview.
  3. Gollwitzer, P. M., & Sheeran, P. (2006). Implementation intentions and goal achievement: A meta-analysis of effects and processes. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 38, 69–119. Meta-analysis.
  4. Webb, T. L., & Sheeran, P. (2006). Does changing behavioral intentions engender behavior change? A meta-analysis of the experimental evidence. Psychological Bulletin, 132(2), 249–268. The intention–behaviour gap.
  5. Nickerson, D. W., & Rogers, T. (2010). Do you have a voting plan? Implementation intentions, voter turnout, and organic plan making. Psychological Science, 21(2), 194–199. Voting plan field experiment.
  6. Milkman, K. L., Beshears, J., Choi, J. J., Laibson, D., & Madrian, B. C. (2011). Using implementation intentions prompts to enhance influenza vaccination rates. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 108(26), 10415–10420. Vaccination prompts.
  7. Oettingen, G. (2012). Future thought and behaviour change. European Review of Social Psychology, 23(1), 1–63. Combination with mental contrasting.

Reports and materials that use this theory (Korean)

There are no materials dedicated to this theory yet, but you can search related reports in the CampusDown library (Korean).

Find more reports · Search '실행의도' on CampusDown →
Locke's Goal-Setting TheoryLocke's goal-setting theory: specific, difficult goals beat vague do-your-best goals; the four mechanisms of direction, effort, persistence and strategy; moderators such as commitment, feedback and task complexity; SMART goals; and critiques of goal overuse.💼 BusinessTheory of Planned BehaviorWhat the theory of planned behavior is: Ajzen's model in which attitudes, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control predict intentions and behavior, its roots in reasoned action, evidence and the intention–behavior gap.🧠 PsychologySelf-EfficacyBandura's self-efficacy: efficacy versus outcome expectations, the four sources (mastery, vicarious experience, verbal persuasion, physiological states), level, strength and generality, measurement, and uses in learning, health behaviour and counselling.🧠 PsychologySelf-Determination TheoryDeci and Ryan's self-determination theory: the three basic psychological needs (autonomy, competence, relatedness), the continuum from amotivation to intrinsic motivation, six mini-theories, applications and criticisms.🧠 Psychology

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This article was last updated on October 27, 2026. It is based on widely recognized original works and textbooks; when citing it in a paper, please check the original sources listed in the references.