PP2 6 Self-regulation perspective

Self-regulation

The ability of individuals to manage their thoughts, emotions, and behaviors to achieve goals and maintain well-being.

Self-regulation perspective on personality

focuses on how individuals manage their thoughts, emotions and behaviors to achieve goals and maintain wellbeing

emphasizes the dynamic nature of personality as a process of adjusting to changing circumstances and challenges, rather than just a fixed trait

Executive Function

A set of mental skills, including working memory, flexible thinking, and self-control, associated with the ability to set and achieve goals.

Emotional Regulation

Mental skills and habits for managing big or uncomfortable feelings such as anger, anxiety, and stress. These skills are associated with the capacity to soothe, self-calm and cope with uncertainty in the external environment.

Behavioral Regulation

Mental skills that enable individuals to engage in healthy behaviors and avoid unhealthy ones to regulate negative emotions.

Goal-Directed Behavior

The process by which individuals align their actions with personal goals through self-regulation.

Feedback Loops

The process of monitoring progress toward goals and adjusting behavior based on successes or setbacks.

Control of Impulses and Emotions

The ability to resist immediate gratification in favor of longer-term objectives.

Development of self-regulation

36 months: able to begin to regulate their actions and behaviors in the presence of changing situations

1. Other-regulation: learning to listen and follow directions from a parent, relative, or daycare provider.

2. External self-regulation: child-directed speech

3. Internal self-regulation

Prefrontal Cortex (PFC) in self-regulation

The brain region crucial for executive functions, such as planning, decision-making, and impulse control.

dorso-lateral PFC

working memory, cognitive flexibility, regulation of goal-directed behavior, maintaining focus on long-term goals, resisting temptations

ventromedial PFC

emotional regulation, decision-making

Self-Discrepancy Theory Higgins

A theory that suggests individuals feel distress over the gap between their actual self and their ideal or ought self.

Self-discrepancy theory self-regulation

Self-regulation involves narrowing these gaps by adjusting behavior and striving for alignment between these self-concepts.

TOTE Loop

A model introduced by Carver and Scheier describing the process of self-control through testing, operating, testing again, and exiting to achieve a goal.

Conscientiousness and self-regulation

A personality trait linked to self-discipline, impulse control, and goal pursuit, facilitating self-regulation.

Neuroticism and self-regulation

A personality trait characterized by difficulty in emotional self-regulation, often leading to heightened anxiety or mood fluctuations.

Conscious Self-Regulation

Self-regulation that requires active, intentional effort, involving deliberate thinking, planning, and decision-making to achieve long-term goals.

Conscious self-regulation is characterized by

effortful control, planning and goal-setting

Automatic or unconscious Self-Regulation

Self-regulation that occurs without conscious awareness or effort, fast, habitual, and efficient, allows people to respond appropriately with minimal cognitive load

automatic self-regulation is characterized by

habits, routines, and emotional reflexes

Mindfulness-based therapies (self-regulatory interventions)

Therapies such as DBT, mindfulness based cognitive behavioral therapy (MBCT), mindfulness based stress reduction program (MBSR), and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) that enhance self-regulation through non-reactive observation of emotions.

How does mindfulness enhance self-regulation?

Mindfulness encourages non-reactive observation of emotions, helping individuals recognize triggers and respond calmly

Mindfulness and cognitive flexibility

Regular mindfulness practice helps individuals become more adaptable and less rigid in their thinking patterns, which supports better decision making