A Thought of Ice and Fire: Goal rigidity and flexibility in low mood and mental health

Background: Fluctuations in mood are often seen as a symptom of mental health conditions, yet low mood may serve an adaptive function, particularly in situations of motivational conflict. Although persistence in goal pursuit is widely valued across cultures, unwavering commitment to unattainable goals can become maladaptive and harmful to mental health. Despite a strong research focus on persistence, the potential benefits of goal disengagement and flexibility remain underexplored.Method: This selective overview integrates perspectives from motivational psychology, evolutionary psychiatry, and clinical frameworks to propose a framework that distinguishes adaptive (goal persistence, goal flexibility) and maladaptive (goal rigidity, goal abandonment) processes of goal pursuit in the context of low mood and motivational conflict. Relevant individual and contextual factors influencing these processes are reviewed, and potential intervention strategies are outlined.Results: Evidence suggests that low mood may serve as an adaptive signal during action crises, informing decisions to either persist with or disengage from personal goals. Factors such as perceived obligation, lack of autonomy, intolerance of uncertainty, and rigid goal representations may increase vulnerability to maladaptive goal rigidity. Experiential techniques, ACT components, and mental contrasting may promote flexible and value-driven goal pursuit.Conclusion: Goal flexibility can play an important role for mental health. Recognizing low mood as an informational cue, rather than solely as a symptom, may aid adaptive decision making during motivational conflict. Interventions should support individuals in evaluating and adjusting goals in accordance with values and circumstances.