In the workplace, employees must pursue multiple, often conflicting goals. Despite its prevalence
and negative effects, research on goal conflict remains fragmented, with no shared understanding of
the phenomenon. Divergent and implicit assumptions of what constitutes goal conflict have
hindered construct clarity, leaving its core components and mechanisms unclear, resulting in goal
conflict being treated as a black box. This lack of clarity has prevented the theoretical precision
needed to understand goal conflict and inform effective interventions. In response to this issue, this
thesis addresses the question: what actually is goal conflict? Adopting an abductive approach, it
develops and iteratively refines an integrated model of intra-individual goal conflict. First, a
systematic literature review (N = 129) identified three perspectives on goal conflict (resource-based,
inherent, incompatible) and their underlying assumptions. By making these perspectives explicit,
the review provides a conceptual foundation from which the fragmented literature can be integrated.
Building on this foundation, three experimental studies were conducted manipulating components
of goal conflict. Study 1 (N = 224) tested a stress-based model, finding that goal conflict follows a
stress process shaped by individual appraisals, however, findings also suggested that stress alone
cannot capture the mechanisms specific to the emergence of goal conflict. Study 2 (N = 261) refined
the model further by integrating self-regulatory concepts, offering initial empirical support for this
approach. Accordingly, Study 3 (N = 256) integrated stress, self-regulation, and goal conflict
theories to develop a comprehensive model of intra-individual goal conflict. The findings
demonstrate that resource-goal demand discrepancies are central to the emergence of goal conflict,
with individual appraisals and characteristics shaping how the two distinct elements of conflict are
experienced. This thesis is the first study to delineate the mechanisms within intra-individual goal
conflict and establish their causal relationships. By integrating the literature, my model introduces
conceptual precision and theoretical clarity to explain how and why goal conflict emerges,
providing a foundation to enable scholars and practitioners to develop and tailor interventions that
minimise goal conflict in the workplace.
