Invited Speakers
Contributing Perspectives
We've invited several researchers to share their perspective and contribute to this pre-conference's pluralistic vision.
About the Pre-Conference
Traditional paradigms have equated the pursuit of meaningful goals with achievement, effort, and long-term goal pursuit. While valuable, these perspectives have also constrained our understanding. This pre-conference invites motivation scientists to participate in a shift toward a pluralistic understanding of motivated behavior—one that welcomes the full spectrum of how people achieve what is genuinely important to them.
We envision a framework that moves beyond the limitations of traditional achievement-oriented models to embrace: hedonic goals and how pleasure-seeking contributes to flourishing; maintenance goals as active pursuit of stability through persistence; diverse self-control strategies beyond willpower; and multilevel perspectives recognizing goal pursuit across micro and macro levels.
This pre-conference explicitly invites researchers who connect recent theoretical advances with real-world applications, bringing together motivation researchers from health and well-being, environmental psychology, education, and relationship science.
Invited Speakers
We've invited several researchers to share their perspective and contribute to this pre-conference's pluralistic vision.
June 30, 2026 · Strasbourg, France
Introduction + Setting the Stage
Wrap-up talk + interactive panel discussion
Moderated by Roland Imhoff
Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz
Sponsored by the Society for the Science of Motivation
Talk Formats: Perspective talks are 30 minutes (including at least 5 minutes for questions and 5 minutes for forward-looking reflection). Empirical talks are 20 minutes (including at least 5 minutes for questions).
This pre-conference is designed around pluralistic engagement, where diverse perspectives receive equal attention. Rather than traditional formats centering around keynote speakers, we create a platform where ideas take precedence over academic rank.
Our ultimate aim is to establish new priorities for the field of motivated behavior and self-regulation. By the end of this pre-conference, attendees will acquire a more diverse view on goal pursuit with emphasis on concrete applications across multiple life domains.
The final session will be a participant-driven "Fishbowl" discussion addressing emerging challenges and opportunities in motivation science, opening with a synthesis talk revisiting perspectives raised throughout the day. We will collect pressing issues from participants, ensuring the discussion reflects genuine concerns from the research community.
Important Information
All attendees, including speakers and audience, must register for both the EASP General Meeting and the pre-conference via the official EASP registration portal. Everyone attending a pre-conference is expected to pay for registration for both the pre-conference and the General Meeting (even if they are only attending the pre-conference).
The pre-conference fee of €60 includes lunch and coffee breaks. Participants may register for one pre-conference only to avoid scheduling conflicts.
All speakers are expected to attend in person. This ensures the interactive, discussion-rich environment central to our pluralistic vision.
For those experiencing financial difficulties and would like to participate in the conference, the EASP has issued a call for applications for EASP Travel Grants.
