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The 'Operational' Definition of Self-Control.
1Social, Health, and Organizational Psychology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands.
Frontiers in Psychology
|August 4, 2018
Summary
Defining self-control is crucial for scientific advancement. This paper proposes an operational definition distinguishing self-control from self-regulation, clarifying its role in goal pursuit and the TOTE model.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Behavioral Science
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- Self-control is a widely studied concept across multiple disciplines.
- A clear consensus on defining self-control is needed for scientific progress and societal impact.
- Emerging perspectives on self-control, such as initiation and effortless control, necessitate distinguishing it from self-regulation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To propose an operational definition of self-control.
- To differentiate self-control from self-regulation.
- To integrate traditional and contemporary research on self-control.
Main Methods:
- Reviewing converging definitions of self-control from existing literature.
- Incorporating new perspectives on self-control.
- Utilizing the Test-Operate-Test-Exit (TOTE) model of self-regulation as a framework.
Main Results:
- Self-regulation involves scaffolding for goal pursuit, including standard setting and discrepancy monitoring.
- Self-control encompasses all actions taken during the 'operate' phase of the TOTE model.
- Self-control is proposed as a component of, but not synonymous with, self-regulation.
Conclusions:
- The proposed operational definition clarifies the relationship between self-control and self-regulation.
- This framework accommodates diverse research on self-control.
- The definition provides direction for future research in self-control and goal pursuit.
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