Gabriele Oettingen

Oettingen was born on July 22, 1953, in Munich, Germany to Alois Philipp Joseph Maria Notger, 9th Prince of Oettingen-Oettingen and Oettingen-Spielberg and Countess Elisabeth Gabriele zu Lynar.{{citation needed|date=October 2020}} She is a member of the German princely House of Oettingen-Spielberg.{{cite book| last = Seligman| first = Martin E.P.| title = Aprenda optimismo: Haga de la vida una experiencia maravillosa| date =2014-09-18| publisher = Debols!Llo| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=yS_QAwAAQBAJ&q=gabriele+oettingen+spielberg&pg=PT188| isbn = 9788499087979}}

Oettingen studied biology in Munich and subsequently worked at the Max Planck Institute for Behavioral Physiology in Seewiesen, Germany, and at the Medical Research Council, Unit on the Development and Integration of Behaviour, Madingley, Cambridge, England. Simultaneously she did her PhD at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich. She was funded by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation to conduct research at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, US. She worked at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development in Berlin while also gaining a Dr. habil. degree in psychology at the Free University Berlin. She accepted a professor of psychology position at University of Hamburg in 2000{{Cn|date=October 2022}}, and since 2002 is a professor of psychology at New York University.{{Cn|date=October 2022}}

Oettingen has created various models of how people think about the future. She has investigated how cultural and political system factors influence optimistic thinking and behavior.{{cite journal |last1=Oettingen |first1=Gabriele |last2=Seligman |first2=Martin EP |author-link2=Martin Seligman |title=Pessimism and behavioural signs of depression in East versus West Berlin |date=May 1990 |journal=European Journal of Social Psychology |volume=20 |issue=3 |pages=207–220 |doi=10.1002/ejsp.2420200303 }}{{cite book |last1=Oettingen |first1=Gabriele |last2=Sevincer |first2=A Timur |last3=Gollwitzer |first3=Peter M |author-link3=Peter Gollwitzer |chapter=Goal pursuit in the context of culture |editor1-last=Sorrentino |editor1-first=Richard M |editor2-last=Yamaguchi |editor2-first=Susumu |year=2008 |title=Handbook of motivation and cognition across cultures |location=San Diego, CA; London |publisher=Academic Press |pages=191–211 |isbn=9780123736949 |oclc=225423112 |chapter-url=http://www.psych.nyu.edu/gollwitzer/08_Oettingen_Sevincer_Gollwitzer_Goal_Pursuit_in_the_Con.pdf }} She has distinguished between expectations of future success versus fantasies of future success and has found that these two forms of thinking about the future decisively differ in their impact on actual effort and success.{{cite journal |last1=Oettingen |first1=Gabriele |last2=Mayer |first2=Doris |title=The motivating function of thinking about the future: expectations versus fantasies |date=November 2002 |journal=Journal of Personality and Social Psychology |volume=83 |issue=5 |pages=1198–1212 |doi=10.1037/0022-3514.83.5.1198 |pmid=12416922 |url=http://www.psych.nyu.edu/oettingen/OETTINGEN2002MOTIVATING.PDF }}{{cite book |last1=Oettingen |first1=Gabriele |last2=Stephens |first2=Elizabeth J |chapter=Fantasies and motivationally intelligent goal setting |editor1-last=Moskowitz |editor1-first=Gordon B |editor2-last=Grant-Halvorson |editor2-first=Heidi |year=2009 |title=The psychology of goals |location=New York |publisher=Guilford Press |pages=153–178 |isbn=9781606230299 |oclc=234434698 |chapter-url=http://www.psych.nyu.edu/oettingen/Oettingen,%20G.,%20&%20Stephens,%20E.%20J.%20(2009).%20Fantasies%20and%20motivationally%20intelligent%20goal%20setting.pdf }} Oettingen has developed fantasy realization theory (FRT), which is supported by her empirical evidence that mentally contrasting future and present reality most successfully evokes changes of cognition, emotion, and behavior, and that cognitive and motivational processes outside of awareness are responsible for these effects.{{cite journal |last1=Handley |first1=Ian M |last2=Goss |first2=R Justin |title=How mental simulations of the future and message-induced expectations influence purchasing goals |date=June 2012 |journal=Psychology & Marketing |volume=29 |issue=6 |pages=401–410 |doi=10.1002/mar.20529 }}{{cite journal |last1=Oettingen |first1=Gabriele |last2=Pak |first2=Hyeon-ju |last3=Schnetter |first3=Karoline |title=Self-regulation of goal setting: turning free fantasies about the future into binding goals |date=May 2001 |journal=Journal of Personality and Social Psychology |volume=80 |issue=5 |pages=736–753 |doi=10.1037/0022-3514.80.5.736 |pmid=11374746 |url=http://www.psych.nyu.edu/oettingen/OETTINGEN2001SELFREGULATION.PDF |citeseerx=10.1.1.335.3331 }}

Based on a psychological principle called "mental contrasting" that involves mentally focusing on the contrast between the positive aspects of one's goals and the negative aspects of one's obstacles or current situation,{{cite web |last=Amin |first=Amit |title=Mental contrasting: effectiveness, uses, and precautions |url=http://happierhuman.com/mental-contrasting/ |publisher=Happier Human |date=April 2013 |access-date=14 November 2014 }} Oettingen has created behavior change interventions, many of which integrate implementation intentions, a planning strategy suggested by Peter Gollwitzer.{{cite web |last=Hawkins |first=James |title=Mental contrasting: a way to boost our commitment to goals we care about |url=http://www.goodmedicine.org.uk/stressedtozest/2011/02/mental-contrasting-way-boost-our-commitment-goals-we-care-about |publisher=Good Medicine |date=February 2011 |access-date=14 November 2014 }}{{cite journal |last1=Gollwitzer |first1=Peter M |author-link=Peter Gollwitzer |title=Implementation intentions: strong effects of simple plans |date=July 1999 |journal=American Psychologist |volume=54 |issue=7 |pages=493–503 |doi=10.1037/0003-066X.54.7.493 |url=http://www.psych.nyu.edu/gollwitzer/99Goll_ImpInt.pdf }} One such intervention is Mental Contrasting with Implementation Intentions (MCII), also known as WOOP (Wish, Outcome, Obstacle, Plan), a strategy that she claims people can use to find and fulfill their wishes and change their habits.{{Cn|date=October 2022}} Oettingen presents WOOP as a self-regulation tool meant to support people in effectively mastering their everyday life and long-term development, across domains such as career achievement, health, and interpersonal domains.{{cite web |title=WOOP: a scientific strategy to find and fulfill wishes |url=http://www.woopmylife.org/ |publisher=Gabriele Oettingen |date=July 2014 |access-date=14 November 2014 }}{{cite journal |last=Oettingen |first=Gabriele |title=Stop being so positive |journal=Harvard Business Review |url=https://hbr.org/2014/10/stop-being-so-positive/ |publisher=Harvard Business Review blog |date=27 October 2014 |access-date=14 November 2014 }}

Oettingen's work is published in journals of social and personality psychology, developmental and educational psychology, in health and clinical psychology, in organizational and consumer psychology, as well as in neuropsychology and medical journals.{{cite web |title=Gabriele Oettingen - Google Scholar Citations |url=https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=rb2Ytw4AAAAJ |publisher=Google Scholar |access-date=7 November 2015}}{{Better source needed|reason=cite actual papers, not just google scholar|date=October 2022}} Her research aims to contribute to the literature on life style change, education, and business.{{Better source needed|reason=The current source is insufficiently reliable (WP:NOTRS).|date=October 2022}}

Oettingen's first trade book, Rethinking Positive Thinking, was published in October 2014.{{cite book |last=Oettingen |first=Gabriele |year=2014 |title=Rethinking positive thinking: inside the new science of motivation |location=New York |publisher=Current |isbn=9781591846871 |oclc=881498635 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/rethinkingpositi0000oett }} In 2015, James C. Coyne attacked Oettingen's book Rethinking Positive Thinking and accused her of aggressively promoting pseudoscience while ignoring other research in clinical psychology.{{cite web |last=Coyne |first=James C |author-link=James C. Coyne |title=Do positive fantasies prevent dieters from losing weight? |url=http://blogs.plos.org/mindthebrain/2015/09/16/do-positive-fantasies-prevent-dieters-from-losing-weight/ |date=16 September 2015 |website=plos.org |publisher=PLOS |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151002095242/http://blogs.plos.org/mindthebrain/2015/09/16/do-positive-fantasies-prevent-dieters-from-losing-weight/ |archive-date=2 October 2015 |access-date=7 November 2015}}{{cite web |last=Coyne |first=James C |author-link=James C. Coyne |title=Promoting a positive psychology self-help book with a Wikipedia entry |url=http://blogs.plos.org/mindthebrain/2015/09/23/promoting-a-positive-psychology-self-help-book-with-a-wikipedia-entry/ |date=23 September 2015 |website=plos.org |publisher=PLOS |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151008102125/http://blogs.plos.org/mindthebrain/2015/09/23/promoting-a-positive-psychology-self-help-book-with-a-wikipedia-entry/ |archive-date=8 October 2015 |access-date=7 November 2015}} Coyne pointed out that as part of Oettingen's aggressive promotional campaign for her book, her own son created Wikipedia articles about her work.

Oettingen lives and works in New York City and Munich. On August 10, 1990, she married Peter Gollwitzer. They had a religious ceremony on January 22, 1994. They have two children, Anton and Jakob.{{cite web| url = https://www.mentorcoach.com/positive-psychology-coaching/interviews/interview-gabriele-oettingen-phd/| title = Interview with Gabriele Oettingen, PhD| last = Dean| first = Ben| date = 23 January 2015| website = Mentor Coach| access-date = 27 November 2018}}

• GROW model — a coaching model similar to Oettingen's WOOP model

{{Reflist|30em}}

• [https://as.nyu.edu/psychology/people/faculty.gabriele-oettingen.html Gabriele Oettingen, NYU Department of Psychology page]
• [https://woopmylife.org/ Gabriele Oettingen's free website of WOOP videos and other resources]

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Category:1953 births

Category:Living people

Category:German psychologists

Category:German women psychologists

Category:House of Oettingen-Spielberg

Category:New York University faculty

Category:Academic staff of the University of Hamburg

Category:Nobility from Munich

Category:German expatriates in the United States

Category:Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich alumni