By Jeremy Bekker
Have you ever found yourself desiring an end goal but unable to take the necessary steps to achieve that goal? Mental contrasting is a visualization technique created by Dr. Gabrielle Oettingen that may be able to help you with that exact problem. Mental contrasting can be described as “juxtaposing our dreams with the obstacles that prevent their attainment.” As opposed to classic visualization techniques like positive thinking, mental contrasting asks the user to consider both the positive outcome and the obstacles that may prevent it. Oettingen has demonstrated the usefulness of mental contrasting for achieving goals through decades of research. By using mental contrasting, you can achieve your dreams by connecting your future goals with the obstacles that stand in their way.
Mental contrasting as a practice was created after Oettingen found that classical positive thinking was an ineffective method for increased goal attainment. Oettingen describes the “cult of optimism,” which is demonstrated in best-selling books such as Chicken Soup for the Soul and The Secret, where authors argue that positive thinking will make the individual healthier and more productive by simply thinking that things will be that way. However, Oettingen conducted a study with obese women enrolled in a weight loss program that demonstrated the opposite. She split the women into two groups and asked one group to imagine what it would be like to reap the benefits of completing their diet (positive thinking), and the other group to imagine times when they would be tempted to violate their diet (mental contrasting). At the end of the weight loss program, those who practiced mental contrasting lost an average of twenty-four pounds more than those who practiced positive thinking. This dramatic difference between the two groups was a result of one group connecting their present actions to their ultimate goal, and the other group having a disconnect between those two things.
Although merely thinking about future success is ineffective, when you contrast that future success with the work that must be done to reach a goal, it will make you much more likely to attempt and achieve your goals. You’re more likely to achieve the goals because mental contrasting helps identify the obstacles that hinder goal realization.
Oettingen has created a technique to put mental contrasting into use called WOOP. WOOP is an acronym that stands for Wish Outcome Obstacle Plan. To use WOOP, you think of something you would like to accomplish (wish). Then spend five to ten minutes thinking about how wonderful it will be to have that thing completed, and the benefits you would get from having done it (outcome). After that, spend five to ten minutes thinking about an obstacle that stands in the way of you completing that thing (obstacle). Then, create an if/then plan to implement your goal into your day to day life, such as “If I feel like eating a treat, then I will eat a carrot instead” (plan). By using mental contrasting through WOOP, you can finally find the motivation to do the things you’ve been dreaming of doing.
Find out more about the WOOP method and how it can help you achieve your goals here.