Beyond Pleasure and Pain
Beyond Pleasure and Pain is a journal article by E. Tory Higgins (1997), published in American Psychologist. IX Coach's practice library cites it in 6 practices across 4 concepts; each one is listed below, so you can see exactly where this journal article is put to use.
Where to find it
Practices on IX Coach that cite Beyond Pleasure and Pain
- Motivational framing: pitch to promotion or prevention
Motivational framing matches the message to the listener’s drive — gains and advancement for some, security and avoiding loss for others.
The Framing Effect
- Use the feared self as an early-warning system
When you notice drift toward feared-self behaviors, treat it as a signal rather than a verdict.
Possible Selves, Made Practical
- Frame advancement-oriented goals as gains to approach
Promotion-focused goals are best framed as opportunities to gain rather than obligations to fulfil.
Regulatory Focus Theory: Promotion vs Prevention Thinking
- Frame precision and safety-critical goals as losses to prevent
Prevention-focused goals are best framed as threats to avoid — which activates the systematic processing and vigilance they require.
- Close the ideal-self gap through growth, not erasure
When you fall short of your ideal self, the response is building toward it — not abandoning the ideal or condemning the actual.
Self-Discrepancy Theory, Made Practical
- Reduce ought-self discrepancy through concrete action, not reassurance
When anxiety comes from failing an obligation, the fastest relief is doing one specific thing that addresses the gap — not talking about why it’s okay that you haven’t.
How this page was checked
- The citation was matched to its Crossref record, and the title, authors and year above are taken from that record — not written by us.
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