Colleges 'Self-regulation'

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’’