When Goals Persist but Alignment Fails: A Simulation-Based Illustration of Regulatory Fatigue

Abstract Research on goal pursuit has extensively examined how individuals initiate and maintain goals. However, comparatively less attention has been given to the regulatory conditions under which persistent goals gradually produce fatigue rather than sustained functioning. The present study offers a simulation-based illustration of a simple dynamic mechanism through which regulatory fatigue may emerge even when goal commitment remains intact. Drawing on the Dynamic Intentional Alignment framework, the model conceptualises goal pursuit as a regulatory system involving intentional direction and affective regulation operating under persistent constraint. Misalignment between these components is formalised as the absolute gap between intentional direction and affective regulation. Using a discrete-time simulation, the model demonstrates how affective regulation gradually adjusts toward intentional direction while environmental constraint continuously perturbs the system. The resulting misalignment stabilises at a non-zero equilibrium, producing cumulative regulatory fatigue over time. This dynamic pattern suggests that burnout may arise not solely from increasing pressure but from the long-term accumulation of small yet persistent regulatory gaps. By providing a transparent computational illustration of this mechanism, the study contributes to the psychology of goal setting by highlighting the role of regulatory alignment in sustaining goal pursuit under constraint. The model offers a conceptual starting point for future empirical investigation of alignment dynamics in motivational systems.