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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
Affiliation:
Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences and the Cognitive Science Program, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN47405-7007. snordli@indiana.edu ehirt@indiana.eduhttp://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. snordli@indiana.edu ehirt@indiana.eduhttp://www.indiana.edu/~abcwest/ http://www.indiana.edu/~hirtweb/

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
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

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