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Willpower is a form of, but not synonymous with, self-control

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 April 2021

Ariella Kristal Open the ORCID record for Ariella Kristal [Opens in a new window]  and
Julian Zlatev Open the ORCID record for Julian Zlatev [Opens in a new window]
Ariella Kristal
Affiliation:
Harvard Business School, Boston, MA02163. akristal@hbs.edu, jzlatev@hbs.eduhttps://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/profile.aspx?facId=962367, https://www.julianzlatev.com/
Julian Zlatev
Affiliation:
Harvard Business School, Boston, MA02163. akristal@hbs.edu, jzlatev@hbs.eduhttps://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/profile.aspx?facId=962367, https://www.julianzlatev.com/
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Abstract

We build on Ainslie's discussion of willpower by highlighting another common misconception in the literature: the conflation of self-control and willpower. In our commentary, we identify this issue and discuss the importance of recognizing willpower not as synonymous with self-control, but rather as a subset of self-control. We describe a set of upstream strategies as more effective alternatives to willpower.

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 44 , 2021 , e44
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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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