Residual stresses are inherently generated during many manufacturing processes and can significantly influence the mechanical behavior of structural components. Their consideration in finite element analyses requires appropriate modeling approaches that can represent residual stress states without altering the component geometry. This paper presents a finite element-based method for the direct generation of virtual residual stress fields from prescribed target stress distributions. The method formulates residual stress components as independent design variables and uses gradient-based optimization to construct self-equilibrated stress fields that satisfy equilibrium and traction-free boundary conditions. The approach combines a linear finite element formulation with adjoint sensitivity analysis and the Method of Moving Asymptotes (MMA) for constrained optimization. A fully integrated hexahedral element formulation with constant element stresses is employed, enabling an element wise representation of the residual stress field. The developed method is verified by transferring the generated stress field to an independent finite element simulation using established commercial software. The comparison demonstrates good agreement between both solutions, confirming the ability of the proposed method to generate residual stress fields. Finally, the method is applied to a double-edge notched tension specimen to demonstrate the influence of intentionally introduced residual stresses on the mechanical response. The results show that tailored residual stress fields can modify the apparent load-carrying capability of stress-concentrated components. The proposed method offers a generalised approach to incorporating artificial residual stress states into finite element analyses, independently of a particular manufacturing process.