Abstract: Nonconscious goal pursuit refers to the process that the individual automatically pursuits a goal activated by environmental clues, and being entirely unaware of the guide effect of the goal to his behaviors. There are three typical characteristics of this process: flexibility, inhibition and persistence. Nonconscious goal pursuit is achieved through nonconscious preparation of actions, automatic assessment of goal value and following efforts. The influential factors of nonconscious goal pursuit include positive emotions, implicit attitudes and interpersonal relationships. Future research should deeply explore the influencing factors of nonconscious goal pursuit, improve the mechanism and analyze the impact of nonconscious goal pursuit on individuals’ mind and behaviors, meanwhile, improve the ecological validities of results and promote the studies of application.

Key words: goal, nonconscious goal pursuit, flexibility, reward cues, positive emotion