Reconceptualizing the desire-intention relationship in the Model of Goal Directed Behavior

This research reconceptualizes the Perceived Behavioral Control-Desire-Intention relationship within the Model of the Goal-Directed Behavior. First, it refines Perceived Behavioral Control by adopting the distinction made in the Theory of Planned Behavior literature between Self-efficacy and Perceived Control. Then, utilizing the Desire-Intention distinction and the motivation-opportunity-ability framework, it reinterprets the model antecedents and how they function. Specifically, it sheds light into the interaction of Desire, Self-efficacy, and Perceived Control in the regulation of Intention and, subsequently, Behavior. Data from a two-wave, online survey (N = 403) on healthy eating tests the proposed relationships. Findings reveal that Self-efficacy and Perceived Control are distinct variables and should be included in models as such. More importantly, they interact to moderate the Desire-Intention relationship. When Self-efficacy is low, Perceived Control shapes the Desire-Intention relationship. When Self-efficacy is high, the impact of Perceived Control is limited. Perceived Control has a different impact than does Self-efficacy: when Perceived Control increases, so does the effect of Self-efficacy and vice versa. The results refine the explanatory mechanisms underlying intention formation while contributing to the fine-tuning and improvement of the Model of the Goal Directed Behavior. We reveal that the mechanisms behind intention formation are more complex than originally hypothesized.