Self-regulation
College 1: Introduction to self-regulation
Self-regulation? trying to steer your behaviour in accordance with a personal goal
or standard, which is not so easy.
Being able to transcend immediate temptations in service of long-term goal
- Will-power?
- Self-control?
- Delay of gratification?
- Motivation?
- Goals?
- Habits?
- Emotion regulation?
- Self-management?
- Impulse control?
- Inhibition?
Self-regulation or something else?
1. You promise yourself to work out (go for a run, only 20 min). when you go to bed
you have been scrolling on your phone all night something else
2. You want to quit smoking. Desperately. You fail for the third time something
else
3. You want to get up early next day to study. You end up drinking too many beers
with your friends self-regulation, short-term goal/temptation
4. You want to lie more green and save energy. When you come home, cold, you
heat your room rather than wearing a warm sweater self-regulation
1. You want to loose some pounds. At a birthday party a close friend offers you a
self-made chocolate cake. You give in because…
- Its too delicious to refuse
- No reason, you just take it by habit
- You don’t want to disappoint your friend
- You did not eat for hours and youre so hungry that you feel dizzy
- Your partner just broke up
,Good self-regulation relates to: success in school, work, relationships, good physical
and mental health
Bad self-regulation predictor of: abuse of drugs, unwanted pregnancy, gambling,
violence, crime, eating disorders, anger control problems
So, what is self-regulation?
- Self-regulation refers to the self’s capacity to alter its behaviours in accordance
to certain standards, ideals or goals either stemming from internal or societal
expectations
- Goal setting
- Goal striving
- Dealing with frustration and distractions: self-regulation is not so easy as
goals, by definition, refer to a future desired state that is not so obvious
- Discrepancy between current and desired state is uncomfortable and motivates
action, under certain conditions
Conflict plays central role, without goals no conflict and no self-regulation
Foundation of self-regulation theory
- ‘’cognitive revolution’’ response to behaviourism (simple stimulus-response
associations)
- Interpretation of the stimulus and mental representations
- Comparison with a thermostat, monitoring process, operating process
TOTE
- Test: representation of problem state (identify
standard)
- Operate: intervene in some way
- Test again: to see if the desired result has been
achieved. If not, loop back to operate. If it has:
- Exit: problem solved
Discrepancy
Discrepancy = negative affect: motivates efforts to decrease NA
If you move faster to your standard: positive affect
,Affect not only as monitor, but also a behavioural motivator
Negative emotions: quit or lower the goal
TOTE important, but many other perspectives of what constitutes self-regulation.
Inzlicht et al. 2021 provides overview
- Cybernetic control = TOTE
- Goal Systems Theory
- Resource Model
- Process Model of Self-control: intervening earlier is more effective than later
- Dual Systems Models
- Models of impulsivity/personality model: focus on trait rather than state
- Choice Models: self-control as decision making process
Psychological needs:
1. Competence = we all have the urge to do well or perform well or be good at
something
2. Autonomy = you want to have a say in when we do certain things or how we
do certain things
3. Relatedness = the need to belong, you have social connections
These are universal and innate, but manifestation varies substantially
Biological needs:
- Critical for survival
- Self-regulation of behaviour that contributes to intrinsic needs is not/less
exhausting
- E.g. the urge to sleep or drinking/eating
According to the Self-Determination Theory there are two types of self-regulation
, 1. Autonomous self-regulation = in line with your needs because you really
want it because it is important for you
2. Controlled self-regulation = more difficult, requires more effort. Because
someone else tells you to do so, or someone else wants you to do it
Needs motivate behaviour; give direction towards goal
Much of the focus of SDT theory lies on types of motivation that is derived from needs:
needs motivate behaviour to fulfil those needs
- Needs = inborn necessities rather than acquired motives (food and clothes)
Even when motivation is high, self-regulation tools are needed to translate motivation
into action.
7 deadly threats to self-regulation
1. Cue exposure and impulse control
2. Emotional and social distress
3. Lapse-activated patterns and abstinence violations
4. Impairments of self-monitoring and self-awareness
5. Influence of other people
6. Self-regulatory resource depletion
7. Alcohol intoxication: large cause of relapse
College 2: Goal setting & goal striving
Self-regulation is about trying to steer your behaviour in accordance with a personal
goal or standard – which is not so easy. It refers to the self-s capacity to alter its
behaviours in accordance to certain standards, ideals or goals either stemming from
internal or societal expectations
- Goal setting
- Goal striving
- Dealing with frustration and distraction: self-regulation is not so easy as goals –
by definition – refer to a future desired state that is not so obvious
Discrepancy between current and desired state is uncomfortable and motivates action
– under certain conditions.
What is a goal? ‘’A future-focused
cognitive representation of a desired end
state that guides behaviour’’
College 1: Introduction to self-regulation
Self-regulation? trying to steer your behaviour in accordance with a personal goal
or standard, which is not so easy.
Being able to transcend immediate temptations in service of long-term goal
- Will-power?
- Self-control?
- Delay of gratification?
- Motivation?
- Goals?
- Habits?
- Emotion regulation?
- Self-management?
- Impulse control?
- Inhibition?
Self-regulation or something else?
1. You promise yourself to work out (go for a run, only 20 min). when you go to bed
you have been scrolling on your phone all night something else
2. You want to quit smoking. Desperately. You fail for the third time something
else
3. You want to get up early next day to study. You end up drinking too many beers
with your friends self-regulation, short-term goal/temptation
4. You want to lie more green and save energy. When you come home, cold, you
heat your room rather than wearing a warm sweater self-regulation
1. You want to loose some pounds. At a birthday party a close friend offers you a
self-made chocolate cake. You give in because…
- Its too delicious to refuse
- No reason, you just take it by habit
- You don’t want to disappoint your friend
- You did not eat for hours and youre so hungry that you feel dizzy
- Your partner just broke up
,Good self-regulation relates to: success in school, work, relationships, good physical
and mental health
Bad self-regulation predictor of: abuse of drugs, unwanted pregnancy, gambling,
violence, crime, eating disorders, anger control problems
So, what is self-regulation?
- Self-regulation refers to the self’s capacity to alter its behaviours in accordance
to certain standards, ideals or goals either stemming from internal or societal
expectations
- Goal setting
- Goal striving
- Dealing with frustration and distractions: self-regulation is not so easy as
goals, by definition, refer to a future desired state that is not so obvious
- Discrepancy between current and desired state is uncomfortable and motivates
action, under certain conditions
Conflict plays central role, without goals no conflict and no self-regulation
Foundation of self-regulation theory
- ‘’cognitive revolution’’ response to behaviourism (simple stimulus-response
associations)
- Interpretation of the stimulus and mental representations
- Comparison with a thermostat, monitoring process, operating process
TOTE
- Test: representation of problem state (identify
standard)
- Operate: intervene in some way
- Test again: to see if the desired result has been
achieved. If not, loop back to operate. If it has:
- Exit: problem solved
Discrepancy
Discrepancy = negative affect: motivates efforts to decrease NA
If you move faster to your standard: positive affect
,Affect not only as monitor, but also a behavioural motivator
Negative emotions: quit or lower the goal
TOTE important, but many other perspectives of what constitutes self-regulation.
Inzlicht et al. 2021 provides overview
- Cybernetic control = TOTE
- Goal Systems Theory
- Resource Model
- Process Model of Self-control: intervening earlier is more effective than later
- Dual Systems Models
- Models of impulsivity/personality model: focus on trait rather than state
- Choice Models: self-control as decision making process
Psychological needs:
1. Competence = we all have the urge to do well or perform well or be good at
something
2. Autonomy = you want to have a say in when we do certain things or how we
do certain things
3. Relatedness = the need to belong, you have social connections
These are universal and innate, but manifestation varies substantially
Biological needs:
- Critical for survival
- Self-regulation of behaviour that contributes to intrinsic needs is not/less
exhausting
- E.g. the urge to sleep or drinking/eating
According to the Self-Determination Theory there are two types of self-regulation
, 1. Autonomous self-regulation = in line with your needs because you really
want it because it is important for you
2. Controlled self-regulation = more difficult, requires more effort. Because
someone else tells you to do so, or someone else wants you to do it
Needs motivate behaviour; give direction towards goal
Much of the focus of SDT theory lies on types of motivation that is derived from needs:
needs motivate behaviour to fulfil those needs
- Needs = inborn necessities rather than acquired motives (food and clothes)
Even when motivation is high, self-regulation tools are needed to translate motivation
into action.
7 deadly threats to self-regulation
1. Cue exposure and impulse control
2. Emotional and social distress
3. Lapse-activated patterns and abstinence violations
4. Impairments of self-monitoring and self-awareness
5. Influence of other people
6. Self-regulatory resource depletion
7. Alcohol intoxication: large cause of relapse
College 2: Goal setting & goal striving
Self-regulation is about trying to steer your behaviour in accordance with a personal
goal or standard – which is not so easy. It refers to the self-s capacity to alter its
behaviours in accordance to certain standards, ideals or goals either stemming from
internal or societal expectations
- Goal setting
- Goal striving
- Dealing with frustration and distraction: self-regulation is not so easy as goals –
by definition – refer to a future desired state that is not so obvious
Discrepancy between current and desired state is uncomfortable and motivates action
– under certain conditions.
What is a goal? ‘’A future-focused
cognitive representation of a desired end
state that guides behaviour’’
