Self-regulation, commonly
has been separated into three main components; Standards, monitoring, and
strength, all of which will be the main theme of this paper along with things
that inhibit our ability to self-regulate. The two types of regulation (autonomous
self-regulation and controlled self-regulation) will also be touched on briefly
along with the newly discovered fourth component: motivation, which is another
factor involved in successful self-regulation (Baumeister & Vohs,
2007).
The three main components
Standards:
This
component explains the process to which people deliberately make a change in
order to fit within society, this can occur when people feel that they are not
living up to certain standards (Baumeister & Bushman, 2008). An example of
one change could be to reduce ones aggression, if someone finds that their
aggression is causing social exclusion, then they will be inclined to change in
order to prevent this further rejection. But if the standards given are
difficult to grasp or not clear in context then the process of self-regulation
can be laborious (Baumeister & Vohs, 2007).
Monitoring:
The
second component discusses the idea of something called the feedback loop of
self-regulation, referred to as TOTE (test, operate, test, and exit). This is
based on the idea that one will begin my comparing them self to the standard,
if they feel they do not fit the standard, then they will adjust accordingly.
After the adjustment, another comparison will be made towards the standard, and
depending on whether or not they correlate with the standard depends on their
exit from this cyclical process, or if further changes need to be made until
satisfied (Baumeister & Vohs, 2007). This continuous self-monitoring is
needed in order for self-regulation to be successful (Zimmerman, 2000), the
reason behind the importance of self-monitoring is down to the fact that
environmental, personal and behaviour factors are in a constant state of change,
making it necessary for us to adjust appropriately.
Self-regulatory
strength: Baumeister and
Vohs (2007) refers to this as what is more commonly known as “willpower” Because
changing ones behaviour can be challenging, the body requires strength to do
so. This refers back to the blood glucose mentioned before and how it is an
essential resource for the brain, and when used, depletes our ability to
operate willpower. It has been discovered that each person has a limited supply
of willpower, and once this supply gets low, then self-regulation becomes
difficult to maintain (Schmeichel & Baumeister, 2004).
Motivation:
This
is the newly discovered fourth component, it is simply described as the
motivation required in order to reach a specific goal or standard (Baumesiter
& Vohs, 2007). Even if all the other components are present (So if ones
standard are simple and clear, successful self-monitoring is occurring, and
full strength is achieved) without the required motivation, could cause
imminent failure of any attempt at self-regulation (Baumesiter & Vohs,
2007). This is down the goal being perceived as unimportant.
All four of these
components are important in helping us self-regulate, but in some cases some
components are able to substitute for each other, a good example being, in the
absence of self-regulatory strength, motivation could be effective in taking
its place (Baumesiter & Vohs, 2007), so if someone lacks the willpower to
do a paid job, motivation can take its place because of the incentive money
gives.
Types of self-regulation
There have been two types
of self-regulation found, Self-determination theory concludes a qualitative
difference between the two. The first type is referred to as Autonomous
self-regulation, this is identified through whether the emotion or behaviour
being regulated, is regulated because of things one may value or find
meaningful. Someone who exhibits many religious ideologies, would live by a set
of rules and characteristics which are laced with the idea of salvation, this
is an example of autonomous self-regulation. Another example could be if
someone believes that expressive kindness helps benefit others even if the
situation does not always call for it, that person would see meaning behind
their actions and as a result being kind is a way of life. The second type of
self-regulation is Controlled self-regulation, it has been shown that this is a
greater consumer of self-regulatory resources, therefor making it more fatiguing
(Moller, Deci, & Ryan, 2006). Controlled self-regulation is the opposite to
autonomous self-regulation, being that it causes internal or external pressure
that conflict with what one would rather be doing. A relatable example would be
performing a job that is not enjoyable, you would rather be elsewhere doing
other things, but you persevere because of the outcome, which in this case is
ordinarily money.
Elements of both forms of
self-regulation can be common within day to day life, many people regulate
their inner values, which are important enough to in-cooperate voluntarily,
these help shape who we are, however these same people will also encounter
times when they have to push through and do something regardless of what they
really want. The benefit of the latter is that self-regulation acts as a
muscle, the more it is used, the better one becomes at regulating, this helps
us to adjust to social norms more fluently throughout life.
Inhibitors
Inhibitors are things that create a lack of
self-awareness, and reduce one’s ability to monitor his or her actions. There
are many things that inhibit self-regulation, causing people to temporarily
lose their ability to care about controlling the way they act. Such inhibitors
include:
·
Emotional distress: If someone has experienced an event causing a
wide range of emotions, then they can lose focus on self- monitoring, such an
event can deem self-regulation unimportant.
If someone has just lost a loved
one, then the initial shock will consume them for an array of days, everyday
activities such as work or hobbies will not hold any value until that person
begins to heal, before this healing process occurs, self-regulation will cease
to hold any gravity in the mind of the affected. Another extreme of emotional
distress can include anger, when someone gets angry they lose their sense of
reasoning, a sudden spout of anger will completely reduce one’s ability to
regulate themselves, usually resulting in a regrettable occurrence for whatever
parties involved. These are just two of many scenarios that could happen when
emotional distress is experienced.
·
Distraction: Distractions can come in many forms, and when it
does it usually takes our mind of a situation that holds a significant amount
of importance (school, work etc.).
These situations can, to some people be very
boring and so their minds are easily taken away from the matter at hand,
causing some means of temporary entertainment to be established, this can come
in the form of just merely doodling on a notepad in class, or playing on your
phone at work. Distractions can also come in the form of much bigger things,
such as relationships or friendships. If you are in a situation where you need
to work at home, then the presence of another person such as a loved one or a
friend can cause major distractions, the importance of the task at hand can
then be forgotten about, thus reducing ones motivation which can result in the
work not being completed for a short or long period of time, depending on the
impact of the distraction. The previously mentioned emotional distress can be
linked in with distraction, anything to cause anguish can be seen as a
distraction to one’s ability to self-regulate effectively.
·
Alcohol: Intoxication is the most sever form of
inhibitor (Baumeister & Bushman, 2008), it is also the most commonly
occurring form of reducing one’s self-awareness (Hull & Slone, 2004). Even
if alcohol is used is small quantities, it can still cause self-awareness to
decline considerably. This can be seen when people say they will only have one
or two drinks, but then end up getting heavily intoxicated.
Even that small
amount of alcohol can reduce self-regulation enough to ignore the reasons behind
wanting to have only a couple of drinks. The increase in aggression and
carelessness is also evident with alcohol being an inhibitor, many people when
drunk partake in activities that they normally would not, such as unprotected
sex or violence. This can be followed by a considerable amount of guilt and
regret and can even cause permanent repercussions (pregnancy or a criminal
record).
Alcohol can be very problematic because of its effect on the brain,
many people realise their limits and can have adequate control over themselves,
but there are others than take it to the extreme which can result in a variety
of complications.
This is an example of some of the inhibitors
that can affect our ability to self-regulate, (others inhibitors could include,
money, disasters, hunger and more). Many people would have experienced some
form of these throughout their lives, but this does come with a silver lining.
People are usually aware of things that cause them to lose self-regulation and
begin to account for these, which in the end could make their ability to
self-regulate stronger.
Conclusion
It is clear that self-regulation is a very
important and diverse asset to human life, until discussed it is difficult to
notice how much it is used from day to day. Self-regulation is taken for
granted, without many people appreciating its capabilities, if it was made more
public, people could find it easier to
grasp instead of learning through trial and error, explanations of its key
components allows us to understand the methods required to self-regulate, and
having an understanding of it could benefit many. Although this idea, though
good in theory would not allow people to learn through experience, life is a
learning curve and if people did not struggle with their ability to regulate at
points then there would be no room for improvement, and such improvements help
people to live and benefit from their experiences, they allow you to be
prepared for future occurrences and to pass down knowledge to future
generations. So the many obstacles that influence our ability to self-regulate,
once overcome, help us to develop and get stronger.
References
Baumeister,
R. F., & Bushman, B. J. (2008). Social psychology and human nature
(Annotated instructor's Ed.). Belmont, CA, US: Thomson Wadsworth
Baumeister, R. F., & Vohs, K. D. (2007).
Self-regulation, ego depletion, and motivation. Social And Personality
Psychology Compass, 1(1), 115-128.
doi:10.1111/j.1751-9004.2007.00001.x
Hull, J. G., & Slone, L. B. (2004). Alcohol
and self-regulation. In R. F. Baumeister, K. D. Vohs (Eds.), Handbook
of self-regulation: Research, theory, and applications (pp. 466-491).
New York, NY, US: Guilford Press.
Moller, A. C., Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M.
(2006). Choice and Ego-Depletion: The Moderating Role of Autonomy. Personality
And Social Psychology Bulletin, 32(8), 1024-1036.
doi:10.1177/0146167206288008
Schmeichel, B. J., & Baumesiter, R. F.
(2004). Self-regulatory Strength. In R. F. Baumeister & K. D. Vohs,
Handbook of Self-regulation: Research, Theory, and Applications (pp. 115-130).
New York: Guilford Press
Zimmerman, B. J. (2000). Attaining
self-regulation: A social cognitive perspective.
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