Reconceptualizing the desire‐intention relationship in the Model of Goal Directed Behavior

This research reconceptualizes the Perceived Behavioral Control–Desire–Intention relationship within the Model of the Goal‐Directed Behavior. First, it refines Perceived Behavioral Control by adopting the distinction made in the Theory of Planned Behavior literature between Self‐efficacy and Perceived Control. Then, utilizing the Desire‐Intention distinction and the motivation‐opportunity‐ability framework, it reinterprets the model antecedents and how they function. Specifically, it sheds light into the interaction of Desire, Self‐efficacy, and Perceived Control in the regulation of Intention and, subsequently, Behavior. Data from a two‐wave, online survey (N = 403) on healthy eating tests the proposed relationships. Findings reveal that Self‐efficacy and Perceived Control are distinct variables and should be included in models as such. More importantly, they interact to moderate the Desire‐Intention relationship. When Self‐efficacy is low, Perceived Control shapes the Desire‐Intention relationship. When Self‐efficacy is high, the impact of Perceived Control is limited. Perceived Control has a different impact than does Self‐efficacy: when Perceived Control increases, so does the effect of Self‐efficacy and vice versa. The results refine the explanatory mechanisms underlying intention formation while contributing to the fine‐tuning and improvement of the Model of the Goal Directed Behavior. We reveal that the mechanisms behind intention formation are more complex than originally hypothesized.