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Self-control (or willpower) seeks to bias the resolution of motivational conflicts toward an individual's long-term interests

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 April 2021

Samuel A. Nordli Open the ORCID record for Samuel A. Nordli [Opens in a new window]  and
Edward R. Hirt Open the ORCID record for Edward R. Hirt [Opens in a new window]
Samuel A. Nordli
Affiliation:
Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences and the Cognitive Science Program, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN47405-7007. [email protected] [email protected]://www.indiana.edu/~abcwest/ http://www.indiana.edu/~hirtweb/
Edward R. Hirt
Affiliation:
Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences and the Cognitive Science Program, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN47405-7007. [email protected] [email protected]://www.indiana.edu/~abcwest/ http://www.indiana.edu/~hirtweb/
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Abstract

We define self-control as an individual's efforts to bias the outcome of present or anticipated motivational conflicts in order to increase the likelihood that subsequent behavior serves perceived long-term interests. We suggest suppression and resolve are not “mechanisms” that underlie self-control, but rather are classes of strategies that influence motivations in order to increase the likelihood of successful self-control outcomes.

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 44 , 2021 , e51
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Creative Commons
The target article and response article are works of the U.S. Government and are not subject to copyright protection in the United States.
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press

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References

Berkman, E. T., Hutcherson, C. A., Livingston, J. L., Kahn, L. E., & Inzlicht, M. (2017). Self-control as value-based choice. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 26(5), 422–428.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
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