About goals that are not achieved literally - and yet change us

An analytical look at the gap between intention and outcome and its psychological meaning

Linear thinking and limits of control

We are used to thinking linearly: if I know exactly what I want, put in enough effort, and stay on course, I will definitely achieve the desired result. This way of thinking works well for technical or procedural tasks, but it hardly works when the psyche is involved. This is where the law of goal heterogeneity comes into play — a principle that describes the fundamental gap between intention and the actual result of an action.

Who formulated the law of heterogeneity of goals

The concept of the law of heterogeneity is associated with classical psychology of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It was formulated in the works of Wilhelm Wundt, one of the founders of scientific psychology and author of the theory of will.

Wundt described a phenomenon whereby the consequences of an action do not coincide with the initial intention, because in the process of achieving the goal, not only the situation changes, but also the subject of the action itself.

Subsequently, this idea was developed in motivational psychology, action theories, and analytical thinking, where it began to be viewed not as a failure of will, but as a natural mechanism of mental development.

Where the goal is born - and where the action begins

A goal is born in the mind. It is formulated by the ego—based on ideas about oneself, the desired future, social expectations, and accessible images of success. But as soon as a person moves from intention to action, the entire psyche enters the process. Along with a rational plan, emotions, physical reactions, unconscious conflicts, early loyalties, internal prohibitions, and the systems in which a person exists—family, team, professional environment, culture—are activated.

Action sets in motion dynamics that cannot be fully predicted or controlled, and therefore the outcome is almost never identical to the original intention.

When the result does not match the intention

In my practical work, I often see how it is precisely in this place—where a person feels confused or disappointed—that an opportunity opens up for a deeper conversation about what needs to be realized right now. For the psyche, this is often a more accurate move than any well-thought-out plan.

This is often experienced as a mistake or failure. A person planned one thing and got another: instead of confidence, anxiety; instead of expansion, crisis; instead of clarity, doubt. But from a psychological point of view, this is not a failure, but a pattern. The heterogeneity of the goal indicates that the psyche does not develop in a straight line, but through complications, shifts, and unexpected consequences. What was not included in the plan turns out to be what was repressed or unconscious, and it is precisely this that comes to the surface in the process of action.

Analytical perspective: Ego, Self, and the symbolic function of goal

In an analytical approach, we can say that the goal belongs to the ego, while the path is adjusted by the Self. The ego strives for a specific result, but the Self is focused on wholeness. Therefore, many goals serve a symbolic function: they are not meant to be achieved literally, but to trigger a process of inner transformation. A person moves toward one point but arrives at another — and it is there that a real change in identity, boundaries, responsibility, or way of being in the world takes place.

Goals in times of transition and crisis

The law of heterogeneity of goal becomes especially important during periods of crisis, transition, and role changes, when old ways of doing things no longer work. At such times, attempts to tightly control the outcome only increase tension. Instead, paying attention to what triggers action allows us to see the deeper meaning of the process. The question shifts from “why didn't I get where I wanted to be” to “what did this movement reveal in me” and “what kind of person did I become as a result of this journey.”

The goal as an entry point into the process, not a destination

Goals remain important, but they cease to be the destination. They become the entrance to a process that changes not only external circumstances, but also the person themselves. And then a movement that may outwardly appear to be a deviation from the plan turns out to be the precise psychological path — the path to greater inner truth and integrity.

When working with goals, it is important for me not only what a person wants, but where that desire comes from. I explore the inner position from which the goal is set and the process that is already unfolding in the psyche. Often, that is where the answer lies, which cannot be achieved through simple planning.

Analytical interview