The future time perspective in human motivation and learning

Joseph R. Nuttin

Abstract

In psychology more perhaps than in any other biological science an accurate description of the phenomena to be studied is important as an introductory phase of the investigation. When this descriptive analysis is neglected, essential difterences between phenomena may be overlooked and significant variables may remain unexplored. Therefore, I intend to introduce my subject with a theoretical description of the future time perspective as it is related to learning and to human motivation. This description will provide us with the general framework of two research programs which are presentiy conducted in our laboraiory at Louvain and on which I would like to report briefly. Finally. I intend to outline some broader hypotheses which have developed out of this research and which are related to behavior theory in general.