Well-Being as a Resource for Goal Reengagement: Evidence From Two Longitudinal Studies Claudia M. Haase Northwestern University Tal Singer Concordia University Rainer K. Silbereisen University of Jena Jutta Heckhausen University of California, Irvine Carsten Wrosch Concordia University After goal failure, some individuals are able to engage in new, meaningful goals, while others have trouble doing so. Little is known about what predicts individual differences in the capacity to reengage in new goals. Building on affective and motivational science frameworks, the present 2 studies examined the hypothesis that well-being predicts positive changes in goal reengagement capacities. Study 1 was a 2-wave longitudinal study of Canadian young adults attending university. Study 2 was a 3-wave longitudinal study of German young adults transitioning from university into work. Across studies, we examined well-being (i.e., positive affect, satisfaction with life, purpose in life, negative affect [Study 1], depressive symptoms [Study 2]); goal adjustment (i.e., goal reengagement, goal disengagement); and goal-self-concordance (Study 2). Study 1 showed that positive affect, satisfaction with life, and purpose in life predicted increases in goal reengagement capacities. Study 2 replicated these findings and further showed that increases in goal self-concordance mediated these associations. Across studies, well-being (but not negative affect or depressive symptoms) predicted increases in goal reengagement (but not goal disengagement) capacities. Findings remained stable when controlling for sociodemographic character- istics. Together, these studies point to well-being as a resource for adaptive motivational development. Keywords: well-being, goal adjustment, goal self-concordance Most people encounter some dead ends throughout their lives. Relationships end, projects fail, regretful experiences cannot be undone. In uncontrollable situations like this, it is important to disengage from unattainable goals and reengage with new goals (Wrosch, Scheier, Miller, Schulz, & Carver, 2003). Cross- sectional, longitudinal, and intervention studies show that these goal adjustment capacities predict subjective well-being, mental health, and physical health across the life span (e.g., Brassen, Gamer, Peters, Gluth, & Büchel, 2012; Miller & Wrosch, 2007; Wrosch, 2011; Wrosch, Miller, Scheier, & de Pontet, 2007; Wro- sch, Scheier, Miller, et al., 2003), and a recent meta-analysis confirmed small to-medium-sized effects of goal adjustment ca- pacities on quality-of-life-outcomes across more than 30 samples (Barlow, Wrosch, & McGrath, 2019). Despite a wealth of research documenting the positive consequences of goal adjustment capac- ities, there has been almost no work to examine psychological sources of these capacities. This was the starting point for the present two longitudinal studies in which we examined the hy- pothesis that well-being predicts goal reengagement capacities. Goal Adjustment Many motivational and self-regulatory frameworks emphasize the importance of persistence, grit, and tenaciousness during goal pursuit. However, the capacity to adjust goals when they are unattainable constitutes an equally important aspect of motivation and self-regulation (e.g., Carver & Scheier, 1998; Heckhausen & Schulz, 1995; Klinger, 1975; Wrosch, Scheier, Carver, & Schulz, 2003). Goal adjustment can be thought of as comprising two related but distinct aspects—the capacity to disengage from cur- rent goals when they have become unattainable and the capacity to engage with other or new goals in such circumstances (Wrosch, This article was published Online First July 20, 2020. X Claudia M. Haase, School of Education and Social Policy and Department of Psychology, Northwestern University; X Tal Singer, Department of Psychology, Concordia University; Rainer K. Silbereisen, De- partment of Developmental Psychology, University of Jena; X Jutta Heck- hausen, Department of Psychological Science, University of California, Irvine; X Carsten Wrosch, Department of Psychology, Concordia University. This work was supported by grants and awards from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada to Carsten Wrosch. Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Claudia M. Haase, School of Education and Social Policy, Northwestern Univer- sity, Annenberg Hall, 2120 Campus Drive, Evanston, IL 60208. E-mail: claudia.haase@northwestern.edu This document is copyrighted by the American Psychological Association or one of its allied publishers. This article is intended solely for the personal use of the individual user and is not to be disseminated broadly. Motivation Science © 2020 American Psychological Association 2021, Vol. 7, No. 1, 21–31 ISSN: 2333-8113 http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/mot0000199 21