Mindfulness and Motivational Conflict: Discovering the Diagnostic Function of Feeling Torn

When viewed from a self-regulation perspective, it is tempting to see motivational conflict as something inherently negative and dysfunctional, and hence, something that should be avoided or immediately resolved. In the present contribution, we argue that experiences of motivational conflict, such as feeling that you want to do something else or that you should be doing something else, can be an important source for self-regulation, and as such can trigger processes of self-insight (e.g., What do I authentically value?). Heightened self-insight may then eventually increase an individual’s potential to proactively shape one’s life for the better, for example, by engaging in more autonomously-motivated behavior. We discuss how being mindful may contribute to this form of self-regulation. We also discuss the role of motivational conflict and its mindful processing for identity development in adolescent and emerging adulthood, when individuals are about to discover who they are and to decide who they want to be.