Definition of self-control
Self-control is the ability to concentrate on a task and use the body’s internal resources as efficiently as possible, regardless of external stimuli.
Definition and concept in psychology
Self-control in psychology is a set of thought processes that allow you to permanently analyze your behavior, control your actions and your own mental state. Perfection of self-control, first of all, includes an absolute understanding of one’s nature, shortcomings and strengths of character.
Attention! One of the directions of development is the eradication of bad habits, using only willpower, without allowing yourself to lose self-control.
Self-control during physical exercise
An athlete’s self-monitoring includes regular monitoring of his personal health, as well as physical development.
Self-control during physical exercise does not replace medical control, it only acts as a supplement to it. Thanks to self-control, the athlete evaluates the effectiveness of sports, follows the training regimen, rules of personal hygiene, hardening, etc.
Self-monitoring of those involved in physical exercises helps in analyzing the impact of physical activity on the entire body, which allows you to correctly conduct and plan a training session.
Self-monitoring of physical condition includes publicly available simple observations, takes into account subjective indicators (mood, sleep, appetite, sweating, desire to exercise), as well as data from objective studies (body weight, heart rate - heart rate, respiratory rate, backbone and wrist dynamometry).
Self-monitoring during physical exercise allows the trainer to identify signs of overload and adjust the training process. Self-monitoring involves keeping a diary. The diary is supplemented with characteristics of training loads (kilograms, kilometers, duration).
Types of self-control
The term self-control, from a sociological perspective, is viewed as an analytical process that seeks the similarity of personal actions with generally accepted ideals. Pedagogy does not take into account the attitude towards social studies and divides self-control into two types:
- direct;
- mediated.
Reflection - what is it in psychology, definition
Direct is a natural type that does not depend on the knowledge or aspirations of the individual; it occurs naturally, without the involvement of motivators, value judgments and comparative conditions. As a rule, it is realized by the individual upon completion of the experienced situation and becomes the result of the formed opinion about himself.
The indirect type is forced, develops as a result of artificially paying attention to one’s everyday actions, in order to determine the nature of behavior with recording the result for further analysis and correction.
Attention! The degree of a person’s interest in his development is inherent in an innate direct form of self-control.
Control and self-control
Control in a broad sense means checking something. Control over educational activities involves external feedback and is carried out by the teacher. It includes internal feedback, acting as student self-control. Control is an important component or link in the learning process. The control system used in educational institutions, namely assessment, has been used for a long time. The main disadvantage of control is considered to be daily oral questioning, since it is selective and random, which allows individual students to work inconsistently. The teacher cannot control what each student learns. Most teachers use assessment to put pressure on students, which strains the learning environment. With such an assessment, educational and cognitive motives are relegated to the background, which distorts the entire educational process.
External control, as well as teacher assessment, are the only methods of control when testing students' knowledge. For this reason, students do not develop habits, as well as self-esteem and self-control.
The listed shortcomings allow us to conclude that it is important to improve the applied control system, as well as assessment in studies. Such proposals are brought up for discussion by innovators in secondary and higher schools.
Learning meaningful activities should include three components:
- orientation-motivational;
- operational and executive;
- reflective-evaluative.
These parts must be understood and also implemented. The teacher’s task is to teach students such educational activities that will cover all the component parts.
The system of control and assessment in the educational process includes:
- external control, as well as teacher assessment of students’ activities and their results;
- self-control and self-assessment by students of their work and their results;
- control and evaluation of educational activities, as well as their results, by student experts.
- a combination of self-control and control, self-assessment and assessment of the student’s activities, as well as its results.
The assessment shows the results of the control. The assessment determines the degree to which the results comply with standards. The assessment methods are called: comparative, normative, personal.
What influences a person’s self-control?
Male abuser - signs and definition in psychology
Willpower is a fundamental component of individual self-control. The ability to concentrate on necessary things, ignoring one’s own feelings, desires and even instincts, is the result of acquiring a strong will, which is given to a person immature from birth. Growing up, everyone develops this character trait to the extent of their ability, desire and necessity.
Attention! Strong willpower has a genetic inheritance. A weak-willed parent very rarely gives birth to a strong-willed heir. With effort, you can beat genetics and improve them for your offspring.
Willpower training
Self-control in psychology is considered to be the triumph of reflexive thinking over impulsive thinking. The difficulty in acquiring such a skill lies in the fact that instinctively everyone has an impulsive type of behavior. This means that the first immediate reaction is formed in the human brain to any stimulus, which is very emotional in nature. The reflexive type of thinking works much later and is based on life experience and acquired knowledge.
An example is the sudden meeting of a man with a large dog on a deserted street. The first impulse reaction is to run. But, if a person manages not to get confused and remember that running from dogs is unsafe, he will find the moral strength to move on without making sudden movements, or to stop altogether and wait until the dog leaves.
Psychological characteristics of volitional self-control
Will is our main tool in the fight for ourselves. Strong-willed people of average ability often achieve a lot, while weak-willed people, as a rule, achieve nothing [31].
To have will means to have the ability to control one’s behavior, overcome difficulties, and achieve a goal [31].
The will is associated with various aspects of the psyche: cognitive and emotional. As we know, a person always thinks about the upcoming work: he finds out goals and objectives, stages of work, expected results, etc. All this is accompanied by a variety of emotional experiences. At the same time, it is a stimulator of active actions. Thanks to will, as well as self-control, people create material and spiritual values, perform feats and overcome difficulties in various life situations [31].
Self-control is a volitional property needed by any person, whether he teaches at school or, on the contrary, studies [32]. In different situations, it is expressed in the ability to avoid discord, not allowing an emotional explosion to manifest itself [32].
Aristotle introduced the opinion of the will as an explanatory one in order to distinguish actions performed on the basis of the intelligent decision of the subject from actions caused by his desires, and it is not the knowledge itself that is a prerequisite for intelligent behavior, but the power that causes action in accordance with the intellect. It originates in the wise part of the soul, a means of connecting an intelligent decision with desire, which gives the decision a driving force, and the desire itself is determined by the driving force of zeal, and Aristotle reduced the will to control, and specifically:
a) a means of intellect, the motivating force of human desire;
b) the route of giving the source material an incentive to the subject;
c) a means of inhibiting impulses, when the intellect gives a hint that it is necessary to avoid zeal for one or another object.
Actions and actions carried out in accordance with the decision of the person himself were considered random by Aristotle. He believed that the will not only activates, but also selects voluntary actions, and also regulates their implementation, and he attributed the ability of a person to possess himself to the action of a volitional source, but any volitional movement, according to Aristotle, has natural foundations.
R. Descartes believed that the task of the will is the battle with passions that appear under the influence of things. The will can slow down the movements caused by passion.
He believed that:
• reason is an instrument of will;
• will helps to be guided by certain rules arising from the concepts of good and evil;
• will is associated with morality. [thirty]
A.N. Leontiev examined the formation of random behavior in connection with the development and differentiation of the motivational sphere.
• Will as an obligation [30].
This approach to understanding will is inherent in Georgian psychologists. They considered it as one of the motivating mechanisms, on a par with the actual experienced need. According to the concept of D.N. Uznadze, the mechanisms of will are such that the source of activity or behavior is not the impulse of an actual need, but an attitude towards action (desire) [30].
Sh.N. Chkhartashvili: “The will is called upon to work as an incentive mechanism for behavior that satisfies social needs, which are accepted by the subject (I am obliged).
• Will as a special form of mental regulation
One of the first researchers who drew interest in will as an extraordinary form of mental regulation of behavior was M.Ya. Basov. He said: “Will is a mental mechanism through which a person regulates his mental functions...” [30].
He emphasized the power of the individual over his mental states only if there was a certain regulatory factor in its unity. A healthy person constantly controls this factor in reality.
The regulating role of will is noted by A.Ts. Puni, B.N. Smirnov, P.A. Rudik, N.P. Ranokhin M. Britsikhin and others [23].
• Will as a mechanism for overcoming external and internal obstacles and problems.
• Will as voluntary control of human behavior and activity.
E.D. Chomsky understands the voluntariness of higher mental functions as a method of intentional control of mental functions [30]. B.V. Zeigarnik et al. mention “the development of self-regulation as meaningful management of one’s own behavior” [30].
The interpretation of will is also found in V. Kalin: “Will is a system of consciousness mechanisms that ensures self-government...” [30].
At V.I. Selivanov we find: “The main feature of volitional regulation is the conscious mobilization by an individual of his mental physical capabilities to overcome difficulties and obstacles” [30].
• Will as self-government
Will (or voluntariness) is self-control of one’s own behavior through consciousness, which implies a person’s independence not only in making decisions (the notorious free will), but also in initiating actions, their implementation and control. In linguistics, the addition of a pronominal adjective to one or another word has a very definite word-formation meaning, which is contained in the designation of the direction of action on the one who carries it out. Hence, the key essence of will is originality. It is this that distinguishes voluntary control from involuntary control.
In the textbook [30], self-control is understood as the conscious control exercised by a person over his behavior, thoughts and feelings, regulation and planning of his activities.
Self-control allows a person to consciously change the direction of his thoughts and restrain himself from unwanted actions.
Self-control is one of the mandatory signs of human consciousness and self-awareness.
It is a condition for a person to adequately and mentally reflect his inner world and the objective reality surrounding him.
The variety of its mechanisms is subject to the hierarchical principle of organization. They, these mechanisms, take place from the course of cognitive processes to the choice of motives of behavior.
There is also no doubt that self-control is a component of control processes (self-regulation) of systems of a qualitatively different nature, where a person is a highly complex system.
For a more visual representation of the manifestations of self-control, let us consider the activities of a human operator exercising control over technical means.
Self-control is included in all types of mental phenomena. Types of classifications of self-control: temporary, plastic, skeletal, and also the principle of arbitrariness of self-control.
The temporal principle includes: preparatory, current (intermediate) and resulting types of self-control.
In this regard, there are: visual, auditory, tactile and other types of self-control. In the process of human life, self-control dominates, exercised through external feedback channels through which control information is received. This kind of self-control is prevalent in a person's daily life.
In accordance with the spatial principle, the regulated co-component and personally the standard enter into the comparison action through a channel of different modality.
In this regard, they recognize: visual, auditory, tactile and other types of self-control. In the process of human life, self-control predominates, carried out through external feedback channels, through which control information is received. Such self-control prevails in human behavioral practice.
In accordance with the structural principle inherent in humans, the variety of self-control devices lends itself to the hierarchical principle of organization. An important character trait of a person that helps him exercise self-control and maintain the ability to carry out actions in difficult situations, a trait such as self-control, is of great importance for the effective solution of established tasks in front of a special contingent.
If this trait is highly developed in a person, then under any circumstances, even extreme ones, he can subordinate his emotions to the voice of reason and prevent destructive behavior in a situation that requires self-organization and self-control. The main table of contents of this characteristic is composed of two psychological devices: self-control and elimination (impact).
If self-control strengthens the fact of mismatch, then this result is the impetus for launching a correction mechanism aimed at suppressing and restraining the emotional “explosion” and returning the emotional response to the normative channel.
When talking about will and self-control, their mutual penetration into each other is implied. Since there is no clear definition of volitional self-control, there is only a concept (volitional control).
We see the best manifestation of the effect of self-control in the so-called assessment of a person’s volitional potential; in this case, a qualitative “strong-weak” scale is used.
When they say that this person is distinguished by a strong will, they mean that he knows how to overcome difficulties, is able to achieve his goals, even in the most unfavorable conditions. On the contrary, a person is characterized as weak-willed if he prefers to give up the implementation of his own plans rather than try to find the strength within himself to achieve what he wants despite the obstacles that arise.
However, the idea that strong will is always accompanied by developed self-control is, in our opinion, quite simplified. In fact, one should take into account the nature of the relationship between will and self-control as personality traits. Different degrees of expression of these properties lead to a variety of forms of their joint manifestation. Focusing only on the polar values of will and self-control on the same “strength-weakness” scale, we can give examples illustrating the features of their combination.
A person with a strong will may have certain weaknesses in the area of self-control, for example, emotional.
A weak-willed person may experience an increased need for self-control. This is a type of cautious, timid, indecisive person who, with the help of careful self-control, seeks to organize his life activities in such a way as to minimize the very possibility of encountering difficult situations, the overcoming of which would require volitional efforts from him.
So, the basis of the volitional component is the readiness to make a volitional effort to overcome cognitive difficulties and its implementation in activity. Each of the components plays a specific role, and if one component is not available, then self-control cannot be fully exercised.
Chapter 1 Conclusions
Aggression in the personal characteristics of adolescents is formed as a form of protest against the misunderstanding of adults, due to dissatisfaction with their position in society, which is also manifested in behavior. Also, the development of a teenager’s aggressiveness can be influenced by the natural characteristics of his temperament, for example, excitability and strength of emotions, which contribute to the formation of character traits such as hot temper, irritability, and inability to restrain oneself.
The problem of aggression these days has become not only a legal, psychological and pedagogical one, but also a moral and ethical one.
By the motivational component of self-control we understand the internal motivations that arise as a result of awareness of the contradiction between the knowledge, skills and abilities existing in young men and the need to master new, more voluminous and qualitatively advanced ones.
How to improve your self-control skills
Mental rigidity - what is it, definition
The level of self-control is not a constant value and can be corrected if you apply enough effort.
Impact Analysis
To improve yourself, you need to analyze in detail every significant situation of your day. This is especially important if there were any controversial or conflicting issues. You need to try to remember every little detail in order to evaluate your actions and words, and then mentally correct your own behavior and remember the result. The next time something like this happens, the person will be able to act calmly and confidently without succumbing to excitement and panic.
The right motivation
Learning any craft is much more successful if the process is enjoyable. To achieve results, you need to properly interest yourself. The ability to turn an important task into a hobby can make anyone happy. By succeeding in his activities, a person gains much more mental strength to develop self-control.
Action plan
Disorder even in thoughts cannot lead to results. Abstract desires to develop oneself will remain desires if they are not defined within a strictly limited time frame. It is best to keep a self-improvement notebook in which tasks will be scheduled by day of the week, month or hour, depending on the long-term duration of each.
Discipline and regime
The concept of self-control is closely related to a person’s internal culture. If you give yourself a comfortable and productive daily routine that combines a well-distributed workload and time for rest, you will be able to spend your irreplaceable resource of time more productively.
Punctuality
A late person will never know what self-control is. Everything great begins with small things. The elementary task of arriving at a given point by a specified time becomes impossible for many. You need to gain a certain level of composure and responsibility in order to predict events for proper timing.
Punctuality as the ability to calculate your time
Books
- "Resilience" by Sharon Melnick
- "The Psychology of Emotions: Feelings in Control" Dan Dubravin
- "Strength of will. How to develop and strengthen" Kelly McGonigal
- "Developing Willpower" Walter Mischel
- "On the limit. A week without self-pity" Eric Bertrand Larssen
- The Psychology of Achievement by Heidi Grant Halvorson
- “Get out of your comfort zone. Change your life. 21 methods for increasing personal effectiveness" Brian Tracy
- “Don't put it off until tomorrow. A short guide to fighting procrastination by Timothy Pychyl
- “18 minutes. How to increase your concentration, stop distractions and get things done that really matter." Peter Bregman
- "Be the best version of yourself" Dan Waldschmidt
Sometimes, in order to develop self-control, you need to constantly think about it. What dominates thoughts becomes something tangible and we begin to be aware. So don't just think about this skill, but also get a lot of information: read blogs, books, watch videos on this topic.
We wish you good luck!
Did you like the article? Join our communities on social networks or our Telegram channel and don’t miss the release of new useful materials: TelegramVKontakteFacebook
We also recommend reading:
- Storytelling
- Ways to train and develop willpower
- Overcoming Negative Behavior
- Several ways to develop willpower from the “Father of Self-Control”
- Self-control: what it is and how to develop it
- Best of the year. Part two
- 10 Ways to Improve Willpower
- Flow state: what is it and how to enter it
- 21 magical days: how easy it is to develop a habit in three weeks
- Will and volitional actions
- 6 Scientific Ways to Make Decisions
Key words:_D1034, 1Psychoregulation, 4Psychoregulation
Who has a high level of self-control
Many professions require you to have certain self-control skills. However, there are some types of activities where the highest self-control is a prerequisite for admission to work:
- medicine, in particular surgery and obstetrics;
- military service, especially in intelligence agencies and snipers;
- operational service;
- diplomacy, both at the international level and at the corporate level.
Surgery is an environment of professionals
Interesting. In any position, a person is obliged to forget about personal matters and fulfill his duties. In other words, every profession requires the applicant to have a sufficient level of self-control. For most types of activities, employee distraction by personal interests does not cause fatal damage, unlike specific professions.
It is useful for everyone who wants to succeed in the service to think about the topic “what is my level of self-control, and what is its role in my life.” If at least once a day a person remembers the role of his own progress, subconsciously he will begin to pay attention to his behavior and make attempts at correction.
The importance of self-control in human life
When people cannot control their desires and actions, it is comparable to turning off the mind to a greater or lesser extent. The subject is unable to think rationally or give a sober assessment of his actions.
Control over emotions allows you to perceive life sensibly in all its branches. This skill will help you avoid unnecessary aggression in family matters or among colleagues.
Mastering the self-control technique is based on practicing and strictly following the assigned schedule. The ability to live according to a routine has a positive effect on self-improvement.
The primary foundations of a future character are laid in childhood. The behavior of the parents will become an example for the child. When adults know how to be restrained in dialogue and find compromises, children copy the reaction and in similar cases behave similarly.
When a person knows how to restrain emotions, this serves as a help in difficult life situations, helps to gather strength and set certain boundaries for oneself to achieve a goal.
The ability to restrain yourself is especially important in the following cases:
- Force Majeure. When an extreme situation arises, people who control themselves are more likely to leave it with dignity, and not do stupid things, guided by impulsiveness.
- Social activity. The ability to choose words and restrain emotions, to find a compromise in any situation is a very useful trait when restraint and diplomacy are required.
- Life If one of the participants in a quarrel knows how to control himself, the conflict is nipped in the bud.
- Sports activities. Sports are fraught with restrictions: daily routine, training time, special nutrition. Every athlete must control himself in order to achieve success.
It is important to understand your own financial capabilities and, if necessary, limit your desires.
Why is high level dangerous?
There are individuals who are so passionate about self-improvement and self-development that it seems as if they were born without natural human weaknesses. It seems that laziness, fatigue, and mood swings are alien to them. People around them say about such people: “he consists of microcircuits,” which indicates a complete absence of bad habits, an iron will and constant concentration on business.
Such people run the risk of developing psychological problems of self-control, which consist in eradicating sensuality in relation to their loved ones. The habit of thinking and acting as productively as possible forces us to eventually perceive evening family conversations as a waste of time. Self-control often transforms into callousness, which negatively affects relationships within the family or team.
Restraining natural emotions also negatively affects physical health, especially the cardiovascular system. This is due to the constant monitoring of surges in the nervous system, which can lead to an increase in blood pressure, because a person’s self-control does not allow this to be made public.
Self-development is the best motivator
For anyone who wants to increase their level of self-control, there are a variety of individual and group classes in which professional educational psychologists share the secrets of human abilities hidden behind the ability to maintain self-control in any situation. The introductory course is usually short and covers general concepts, after which everyone finds out their level of interest in learning. It is important to remember that a person creates himself. The desire to make yourself better has always been the best motivator for action.
The benefits of self-control
When a person knows how to control himself, he stands out from the rest.
More than 9,000 people have gotten rid of their psychological problems using this technique.
Such a person has the following qualities:
- freedom – there are no external restrictions for development;
- peace - appears due to sound self-esteem and self-confidence;
- self-esteem - a person looks at himself through the eyes of others, acquires the ability to direct his feelings and actions in a worthy direction;
- experience - the ability to manage oneself teaches one to manage others.
While mastering the technique of self-control, a new level of patience is mastered, which helps to correct internal shortcomings and overcome external obstacles.
What is self-control?
Self-control is the ability to take control of your thoughts, emotions, behavior, using the necessary volitional efforts. This skill ensures a person’s competitiveness and increases his chances of success in his chosen business. Whatever people do requires concentration and consistency of action.
According to Nobel Prize winner, Israeli-American psychologist Daniel Kaniman , self-control ensures the flow of emotionally intense reasoning or the performance of complex actions.
By the way, do not confuse self-control and repression of emotions . After all, controlling your thoughts or emotions does not mean suppressing them. Repression is the desire to simply hide what is happening in the soul, without understanding the causes and possible consequences.
Take a personality type test
What influences self-control?
Studying self-control, psychology closely connects it with the concept of human self-regulation. The ability to control oneself is determined by the physiological and mental characteristics of the individual. The first ones are determined genetically. The latter develop in the process of education and socialization.
If we take into account the biological side of the phenomenon , then the frontal lobe of the brain is responsible for the function of self-control. When it is damaged, problems in human behavior are observed. Poor development of this region of the brain has been associated with antisocial behavior, including excessive aggressiveness or criminalization.
From a psychological point of view, human self-control depends on the interaction of two opposing systems: impulse and reflex . The impulse system pushes us to immediately respond to changes in the environment, especially those that promise satisfaction. The reflex system, on the contrary, helps to anticipate the results of actions and correct them.
For example, if a plump girl who has decided to go on a diet, at the sight of a chocolate bar, forgets about everything and eats it, then she will be controlled by impulses. If she remembers that after eating sweets her butt will become even bigger, it means that a conditioned reflex will work in her brain: “one chocolate bar - plus one clothing size.” Self-control is the ability to deal with impulsive behavior and maintain emotional balance at the appropriate level.
Indicative in this regard is the experiment of the American psychologist Walter Michel, called the “marshmallow test” . The scientist proved the close relationship between the strong-willed qualities of an individual and his success. As part of the study, a group of children were offered a piece of marshmallow. Those who were able to resist eating it for 15 minutes received a supplement. If the child succumbed to temptation and feasted on the sweetness, then he did not get the second piece.
After recording the test results, Walter Michel spent the next 40 years watching how the lives of these guys developed. As it turned out, those children who knew how to demonstrate their strong-willed qualities were much less exposed to stress, various kinds of addictions, and emotional problems in adulthood.
The importance of self-control in a person’s life is difficult to overestimate. A reasonable question arises. Can this skill be improved?
Take a character test
Objective indicators of self-control
Experts use several groups to assess the level of self-control:
- subjective indicators;
- objective indicators of self-control.
The most convenient form of self-control are objective indicators that indicate the degree of influence of a particular situation on the emotional and physical state.
- Pulse.
- Breathing rate.
- Body mass.
- Physiological tests.
In order to most accurately assess a person’s condition, it is necessary to record data at certain intervals. When assessing the condition, the specialist is guided by certain standards for each criterion. A significant deviation from the indicators requires symptomatic treatment, that is, the prescription of drugs and measures aimed at eliminating the symptoms and the cause that provoked them. Psychologists strongly recommend developing self-control. There are many materials on the Internet on the topic: how to learn self-control, examples of self-control are given.
