Psychology 08 self control

Self-Regulation and Self-Control
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Most students begin their college careers with the
expectation and hope of success. Most students come with
a high-school academic record that suggests readiness for
college. Yet many students find that their goal of success
in college is threatened by poor performance or academic
failure.

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1.What do you believe are the major reasons for a student’s
academic failure or poor performance?
2. Along with academic ability, what personal qualities are
necessary for success in college?

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Self-Regulation & Self-Control
Per Chapter 7 - Having (resources we have) & doing (goals we
adopt) and importance of choosing “right” goals
(expressive, need fulfilling, autonomously chosen).
But resources and right goals not enough.
Ability to regulate behavior over time, make adjustments,
overcome obstacles, control side-tracking temptations, and
stay-on task critical.
Three steps to success:

1. Resources + 2. Goals (Right Goals/Motives) + 3. Selfregulation over time to goal attainment.
Otherwise: goals simply wishes and desires with little chance
of becoming a reality.

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Self-Control and Self-Change
Most general goal = living life consistent with who
want to become.
What Self?
Begins with imagining future self want or might
become. (goals)
Takes seriously idea of volitional choice and “free
will.”
Live in a world created by self - self at center of our
world.
Reality = self, so change self & change our reality.

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How to Change?
Self-control major vehicle for changing self.
- Ability of self to change by controlling & regulating thoughts,
feelings, and actions to achieve personally-significant goal/outcome
basis for self-growth & development.
-Setting goals, deciding to be different, pursuing satisfying
activities basis for personal change
- Not passive victims of environmental events or wishes of

others.
To be in control of your life means directing life according to your
personal goals and conscious self-image of who want to be.

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Possible Selves versus Actual Self –
Oysterman & Markus
• 100 adolescents 14-16 yrs old - treatment.
• What predicts staying out of trouble?
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Past & Present Self
– Family support at home
– Peers - seriousness of offense
– Social class

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Possible Selves (leaving past & present self behind)
– Who might become. Want to become.
– Who afraid might become.
– Imaginary rather than “real” self.
– Ability to change and lead a new life starts with ability to
imagine a new life & then living that life.
– Mind as an independent cause of behavior.
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Self-Regulation and Self-Control
Value of self-control
Walter Mischel: “The Marshmallow Test”
Self control and positive outcomes:
personal adjustment, social relations, fewer
addiction problems, & better college grades
(2nd behind H.S. grades…3rd = SAT scores)
Any important success not involve self-regulation?
Failed Self-Control
Dieting, drug abuse, aggression…major theory of crime.
Failed control & impulsiveness.
Origins: Genetics...parents who monitor & supervise - external
becomes internalized in child’s own monitoring/control system.
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Control Theory versus Self-Discrepancy Theory
Two time perspectives & emotional consequences of selfevaluation

1.Control Theory - Where at relative to future goal
-in progress.
Feedback loops like furnace and thermostat @ 68 degrees.
TOTE test - operate - test - exit --- endless feedback loop.
Monitor - compare - adjust in relation to future goal.
People’s future personal goals:
By definition always falling short of future goals...not
achieved yet. Rate of progress towards goal… How
rapidly reducing discrepancy…

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2.Self-Discrepancy Theory - Where at now relative to ideal.
Usually falling short of ideal self.
Goals as self-guides to evaluate present self in relation to
ideal self.
Achieve ideal - feel good…falling short of ideals feel bad.
Size of discrepancy - ideal versus actual determines
emotion.
Negative emotion - discrepancy - major motivator.

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Requirements for Successful Self-Regulation to Goal
Control Theory Requirements: TOTE
1. Clear standard/goalFuzzy, unclear & abstract goals difficult to regulate.
“Be better person.”; “Drink less.”; etc…. no clear criteria for
progress or achievement.
Image of self want to be.
2. Monitoring systemNo monitoring, low awareness, clueless - no regulation.
Effective monitoring, self-awareness, keeping track.
How much eat, drink, smoke, grades in a class.
3. Strength and Self-Discipline
Giving in to short-term temptations - procrastination.
Difficult - dieting failure rate - high.
Maintaining motivation & interest over four years of college.

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marking


Self-Regulation Research
Factors that affect success & failure of 3 self-regulation
processes:
Planning - why helps
Overcoming limited self-control resources
Goal conflict
Concrete versus abstract goals trivial pursuits to magnificent obsessions
Goals difficult to monitor & regulate
Approach & avoidance goals
Ironic backfire effects of mental control
Excuses for failed control
Procrastination
Knowing when to give it up

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Planning for Success
Gollwitzer
Goal intentions - desire to achieve a certain goal.
Implementation intentions - plan of action - steps necessary to
achieve goal.
- Planning critical to success:
“I need to exercise more.” versus “At 5:30 p.m. every day I’m going
to watch the evening news and walk on the treadmill.”

Easy tasks: planning not so critical...hard tasks: more important.

Not squelch spontaneity…but things “don’t” want to do.
Research: Goals for Christmas break (semester continues)
E.g., writing class paper, resolving family conflicts,athletic
activities…
Made specific plans…where, when, how?
Made plans - 66% completed their projects
No plans - 25% - most failed to achieve goals.
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Why Planning Helps
I. Planning imposes structure on busy lives and makes working on
goals “automatic.”
Pass control from internal to external environment.
How many “plan” to take a shower?
Setting aside time and place to study...versus “winging it.”
II. Conserving Self-Control Resources
Baumeister - Self-control like muscle - weakens with use.
Limited resource, can use up if too many demands or
weakened resolve.
E.g., stress & eating
Research: Task one - suppress urge to eat yummy chocolate
or suppress emotions from film
Task two - less able to control behavior, suppress, & stay on
task

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Commitment to Goal and Confidence Can Achieve

Commitment = degree of importance, determination, willingness
to persevere in face of obstacles. Lack of commitment - going
through motions.
Confidence & self-efficacy = belief bring about desired outcome.
Believe have what it takes...related to ability but not same
thing.
E.g., lose confidence despite ability.
Research - Brunstein: Student goals over semester.
Both commitment & confidence in perceived attainability
predicted attainment, progress satisfaction.
High commitment & low confidence - most dissatisfying.
Commitment not enough.
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Approach versus Avoidance Goals
Approach: playing to win..get a good grade.
Focus on positive outcome. Regulation of behavior aimed at
reducing discrepancy between goal and where are now.
Monitoring, adjusting behavior to achievement fueled by
positive motivation.
Avoidance Goals: playing not to lose…not failing a class.
Focus on preventing a negative outcome. Regulation of
behavior aimed at increasing the discrepancy between goal and
where at now. E.g., not gain back weight lost in
dieting…
farther away from what want to avoid the better.
Lots of research; avoidance goals associated with more stress,
anxiety, less satisfaction. Less progress and poorer achievement
than approach goals.

People with lots of avoidance goals = lower well-being and less
success.

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Why Avoidance Goals are Difficult to Regulate
Why should it make a difference?
success = avoid failure
avoid failure = some success
Why?
Relations: Desire to avoid conflict, being hurt or rejected by
others undermine relationships while desire to be more
complementary or share more fun activities enriches?
Therapy: Being less shy or moody less helpful than being
more confident or more accepting of self?

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Regulation Problems
1. Number of goal pathways and stresses of monitoring.
Approach - fewer routes to goal…doing something nice for
friend -only need one thing.
Avoidance: not offend others…always on guard in others’
company, have to monitor all signs of negative reactions and
make adjustments.
Constant monitoring may wear down self-control resources.

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Regulation Problems (continued)
2. Threat, anxiety, guilt, & negative emotions
Many avoidance goals inherently negative…guilt if don’t avoid.
Dieters resisting temptation, guilt if fall off diet…face constant
reminders of threat to diet…ads, on T.V., grocery store, etc….
Negative emotions...harder to regulate -reduced resources
interferes with effectiveness.

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Regulation Problems (continued)
3. Decreased feelings of competence, esteem.
Negative emotions may mediate lack of effectiveness…more frustration,
more setbacks lowers confidence and esteem….give up.
4. Autonomy
Avoidance goals often feel imposed…have to diet…have to avoid failing.
Less enjoyable not freely chosen…less satisfying…harder to stay on.

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Regulation Problems (continued)
5. Motives that underlie “avoidance” versus “approach”
May be aspect of personality.
People differ in general approach vs. avoidance orientation.
Avoidance orientation linked to lower well-being & happiness.
Research:

Positive orientation towards affiliation with others
versus
fear of rejection as major motive (avoid embarrassment, betrayal,
hurt, conflict, preventing negative interactions).
Fear of rejection motive = more loneliness, negative
relationships, and more stress and physical ailments, e.g.,
headaches.
Similar pattern for those oriented towards success vs. fear of
failure.
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Origins of Approach and Avoidance Goal Orientation
Origins?
Higgins - Parenting - relative strength of internalized ideal versus
“ought” self leading to a promotion approach versus
prevention avoidance goal orientation.
Two Styles
1.Nurturing - independence - explore/overcome challenges - do
this...try this - develop strong ideal self - approach goals.
2.Safety - Rules - Obligations - “oughts” Don’t do this, avoid this, here are the rules, don’t break them.
Follow rules of good conduct, be on guard for transgressions.
Stay safe & secure….avoid risks, etc….
Develop strong ought self - avoidance goals.
Avoidance types are likely “worriers” who think of everything
that can go wrong rather than what might go right .

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Goal Conflict
Self-regulation failure because too much to regulate.
Multiple activities & goals - doing one interferes with other.
Planning & scheduling or reorganizing goals only solution.
Scheduling to “max” recipe for problems and stress.
Mutually-facilitative goals sometimes possible…
Writing papers on same topic of interest in several classes.
Academics, careers, and meeting friends - join campus
group…Psych. Club.

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Trivial Pursuits and Magnificent Obsessions
Matter if goals are abstract/general or concrete/specific?
Action identification theory –(applies to everyone)
Goals can be identified at different levels of abstraction:
Lower levels - concrete -smaller context of specific behaviors, how &
what doing.
E.g., studying for exam - helping son with homework - struggling
with paragraph.
Higher levels - abstract - larger context of general purpose, why doing
something.
E.g., getting an education - being a good parent - writing great book.
Higher level more affirming of self-concept - more motivating - like to
think in higher-level terms - but if run into troubles shift focus down
to specifics.
Both co-exist - shift focus at will…big goals help motivate small goals.

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Individual Differences in Characteristic Level of Goals
Emmons - People with too many very abstract and people with
too many very concrete goals - have problems - lower SWB.
Problems When Personal Goals Dominated by Abstract Goals
E.g., being better person, becoming more knowledgeable,
being more realistic, think more positive thoughts.
-Fuzzy goals - how know when achieved?
- Long-term goals - regulate over very long periods - harder.
- Hard to regulate, know how to achieve and if achieved.
Result: more frustration, uncertainty, and disappointment.
- Always falling short in short term.

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Problem with Dominance of Concrete/Trivial Goals
Emmons study - people with many concrete goals - more
distress and physical illness symptoms.
E.g., personal goals people listed:
looking well-groomed and clean cut
drinking more water
keeping good posture/walking straight
cutting down on frozen dinners
Very concrete and therefore manageable but not very
meaningful or personally expressive - not satisfying when
achieved.

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Emmons: Low-level striving may reflect repressive
personality type.
People who deny their emotional distress and avoid
emotional issues by busying themselves with distracting
activities to avoid thinking about problems. “Trivial
pursuits” to avoid your problems.
People who find something to do rather than someone to
be. Think small to avoid distress of thinking big.

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