Dealing with conflict: Reducing goal ambivalence using the best-possible-self intervention

One of the flagship exercises in positive psychology is the best-possible-self (BPS) intervention, which has been repeatedly shown to increase positive affect. Yet little is known about the intervention’s underlying psychological mechanisms. We propose that goal ambivalence and positive future expectations should operate as mediators because both variables might be affected by the BPS intervention and have been shown to promote positive affect....