Past work has theorized on how the value of goal behaviors in relation to a standard may affect goal pursuit. In the current set of proposed studies, I outline tests of how standards influence the ways people may think about goal pursuit and act differently when focused on standards. To accomplish this, I first outline research on goal pursuit and the function of goals as reference points (Chapter 1) and describe studies I’ve conducted to test how standards influence perceptions of goal behaviors (Chapter 2). After introducing the background, I detail studies related to the value of reference points/standards (Chapter 3), how focusing on standards may lead to missed opportunities in goal pursuit (Chapter 4), and how people may prioritize standards when standards and goals compete (Chapter 5). I conclude with a discussion of the purpose and implications of these studies.