by Eric Trexler [LINK](https://www.strongerbyscience.com/goal-setting/) *Citation*: # [How Focusing on Superordinate Goals Motivates Broad, Long-Term Goal Pursuit: A Theoretical Perspective](https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01879/full) >[!tip] Superordinate Goals: >**Superordinate goals** are identity-based, have an extended temporal perspective, and entail a broad scope of contexts. ## Goal Hierarchy >A goal is a mental representation of a desired end state that a person is committed to approaching or avoiding. ![[Pasted image 20261031185854.png]] **The lowest level of abstraction contains subordinate goals.** They define precisely what to do and how to do it. By taking into account environmental affordances and constraints, they specify concretely how goals one step up in the hierarchy—that is, intermediate goals—can be achieved. For example, the subordinate goals to “*go to yoga classes on Thursday at 4:00 p.m*.” or “*do 40 push-ups on Wednesday afternoon*” could help achieve the intermediate goal to “*be in good physical shape.*” **Intermediate goals** then provide a general course of action that is bound to a certain behavioral context; for example, “run a marathon” or “eat a healthy diet” Multiple intermediate goals across different behavioral contexts in turn help achieve goals even higher up in the hierarchy—that is, **superordinate goals**. For example, the intermediate goals to “be in good physical shape,” “get enough sleep,” “avoid stress,” and “eat a healthy diet” all contribute to the superordinate goal to “be healthy.” **Superordinate goals are at the highest level of the goal hierarchy**. They refer to idealized conceptualizations of one’s self, one’s relationships, or the society one is part of. ***These superordinate goals reflect what is (not) important to a person*** **As such, superordinate goals are very similar to values.** When considering all three hierarchical levels, the interconnection of goals at different levels becomes apparent: **Superordinate** goals determine more concrete goals at the **intermediate** level, and **intermediate** goals in turn determine goals at the **subordinate** level. Thus, these goals can be placed into a hierarchy of levels of abstraction in which subordinate goals are the means to reach a higher order goal