CPC Goal Setting & Motivation Strategies 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which concept describes the optimal level of challenge that keeps a client engaged without causing anxiety or boredom?
- Hedonic adaptation
- The flow state (Correct answer)
- Cognitive dissonance
- Motivational interviewing
Correct answer: The flow state
Csikszentmihalyi's 'flow' occurs at the balance point between skill level and challenge, producing deep engagement.
Question 2: A client lists ten equally important goals. What should the coach PRIMARILY help the client do?
- Work on all goals simultaneously to build momentum
- Prioritize goals based on values and energy available (Correct answer)
- Eliminate goals that seem unrealistic
- Hand off some goals to friends or family
Correct answer: Prioritize goals based on values and energy available
Prioritizing goals by alignment with values and available energy prevents overwhelm and focuses effort where it matters most.
Question 3: Implementation intentions help clients achieve goals by asking them to plan:
- Why the goal matters to them personally
- When, where, and how they will take specific actions (Correct answer)
- Who else in their life supports the goal
- What rewards they will give themselves upon completion
Correct answer: When, where, and how they will take specific actions
Implementation intentions use 'if-then' planning (when X happens, I will do Y) to create automatic links between situations and goal-directed behavior.
Question 4: A client who has met a major goal suddenly feels unmotivated and aimless. This phenomenon is BEST described as:
- Post-achievement depression
- Goal completion vacuum
- Arrival fallacy (Correct answer)
- Hedonic treadmill
Correct answer: Arrival fallacy
The arrival fallacy is the mistaken belief that reaching a goal will produce lasting happiness, leading to emptiness once the goal is achieved.
Question 5: Which questioning technique helps a client explore their deeper 'why' behind a surface-level goal?
- Scaling questions
- The '5 Whys' technique (Correct answer)
- Miracle question
- Exception-finding questions
Correct answer: The '5 Whys' technique
Asking 'why' repeatedly (typically five times) drills beneath surface desires to reveal core values and intrinsic motivators.
Question 6: According to Locke and Latham's Goal-Setting Theory, which combination produces the highest performance?
- Easy goals with strong commitment
- Specific, difficult goals with high commitment (Correct answer)
- General 'do your best' goals with autonomy
- Moderate goals with detailed step-by-step plans
Correct answer: Specific, difficult goals with high commitment
Locke and Latham found that specific, challenging goals paired with high commitment consistently outperform vague or easy goals.
Question 7: A life coach notices a client always frames goals as what they want to STOP doing. The coach BEST responds by:
- Accepting the negative framing since it reflects the client's authentic desire
- Helping the client reframe goals toward what they want to move toward instead (Correct answer)
- Referring the client to therapy to address avoidance tendencies
- Exploring why the client dislikes current behaviors
Correct answer: Helping the client reframe goals toward what they want to move toward instead
Approach-oriented (toward) goals are associated with higher well-being and persistence than avoidance-oriented (away-from) goals.
CPC Goal Setting & Motivation Strategies 3
Which concept describes the optimal level of challenge that keeps a client engaged without causing anxiety or boredom?