<p>Only one of these 2 sentences is correct:</p>
<p>(1) Phychologists advise that before making any major changes in their life, a person needs to focus on their goals.</p>
<p>(2) Phychologists advise that before making any major changes in their lives, people should focus on their goals.</p>
<p>Why are these both not correct?</p>
<p>(1) Phychologists advise that before making any major changes in (b)
[their]
life, a person needs to focus on (a)
their
goals.</p>
<p>(b) “their” should be “his or her” because phychologists refer to a “person”
(a) it should be omited. </p>
<p>(2) Phychologists advise that before making any major changes in [their] lives, people should focus on their goals.
I think that “their” should be omited.</p>
<p>In regards to the second sentence, I am pretty sure that “their” must not be omitted, but I am also not absolutely certain about what the mistake really is.</p>
<p>My guess is that the problem is that the sentence is ambiguous:</p>
<p>“Psychologists advise that people should focus on their goals before making any major changes in their lives” is probably much better. Otherwise, it sounds like the changes are being made by the people to the lives of the psychologists’, not to their own lives.</p>
<p>^
Yeah maybe you are right.</p>