Role of Possible Selves in Self-Regulation and Behavior: Review and Synthesis

2003 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle R. Sherrill ◽  
Rick H. Hoyle ◽  
Jorgianne I. Robinson
Author(s):  
Pelin Kesebir ◽  
Tom Pyszczynski

The capacity for self-reflection, which plays an important role in human self-regulation, also leads people to become aware of the limitations of their existence. Awareness of the conflict between one's desires (e.g., to live) and the limitations of existence (e.g., the inevitability of death) creates the potential for existential anxiety. In this chapter, we review how this anxiety affects human motivation and behavior in a variety of life domains. Terror management theory and research suggest that transcending death and protecting oneself against existential anxiety are potent needs. This protection is provided by an anxiety-buffering system, which imbues people with a sense of meaning and value that function to shield them against these concerns. We review evidence of how the buffering system protects against existential anxiety in four dimensions of existence: the physical, personal, social, and spiritual domains. Because self-awareness is a prerequisite for existential anxiety, escaping self-awareness can also be an effective way to obviate the problem of existence. After elaborating on how existential anxiety can motivate escape from self-awareness, we conclude the chapter with a discussion of remaining issues and directions for future research and theory development.


Author(s):  
Deane H. Shapiro

Spiritual, religious, and secular traditions emphasize the importance of control over one’s thoughts, feelings and behavior, and the relevance of meditation in achieving this control. Meditation practices, in particular, can be understood as one strategy amongst others for achieving self-regulation. While the main focus in Western psychology has been on active instrumental control, other traditions have emphasized the importance of a more accepting/yielding mode of control. This chapter distinguishes between different forms of control and how some of these may be enhanced by meditation practices. While over-control and passive resignation can have negative consequences for a person’s well-being, there is evidence for the beneficial role of the active/assertive and positive accepting/yielding modes of control. Selecting the most appropriate meditation strategy for a particular person is dependent upon a wide range of factors, including the person’s control profile, their sensory orientation, and their belief systems. The chapter concludes with the description of the author’s personal journey in exploring meditation and theories and practices of control—and a note of gratitude.


2018 ◽  
Vol 27 (6) ◽  
pp. 437-442 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abigail A. Scholer ◽  
David B. Miele ◽  
Kou Murayama ◽  
Kentaro Fujita

Research on self-regulation has primarily focused on how people exert control over their thoughts, emotions, and behavior. Less attention has been paid to the ways in which people manage their motivational states in the service of achieving valued goals. In this article, we explore an emerging line of research that focuses on people’s beliefs about their own motivation (i.e., their metamotivational knowledge), as well as the influence these beliefs have on their selection of regulatory strategies. In particular, we review evidence showing that people are often quite sensitive to the fact that distinct motivational states (e.g., eagerness vs. vigilance) are adaptive for different kinds of tasks. We also discuss how other metamotivational beliefs are inaccurate on average (e.g., beliefs about how rewards affect intrinsic motivation). Finally, we consider the implications of metamotivation research for the field of self-regulation and discuss future directions.


2002 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 761-787 ◽  
Author(s):  
CARROLL E. IZARD ◽  
SARAH FINE ◽  
ALLISON MOSTOW ◽  
CHRISTOPHER TRENTACOSTA ◽  
JAN CAMPBELL

We present an analysis of the role of emotions in normal and abnormal development and preventive intervention. The conceptual framework stems from three tenets of differential emotions theory (DET). These principles concern the constructs of emotion utilization; intersystem connections among modular emotion systems, cognition, and action; and the organizational and motivational functions of discrete emotions. Particular emotions and patterns of emotions function differentially in different periods of development and in influencing the cognition and behavior associated with different forms of psychopathology. Established prevention programs have not emphasized the concept of emotion as motivation. It is even more critical that they have generally neglected the idea of modulating emotions, not simply to achieve self-regulation, but also to utilize their inherently adaptive functions as a means of facilitating the development of social competence and preventing psychopathology. The paper includes a brief description of a theory-based prevention program and suggestions for complementary targeted interventions to address specific externalizing and internalizing problems. In the final section, we describe ways in which emotion-centered preventions can provide excellent opportunities for research on the development of normal and abnormal behavior.


2014 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 111-118
Author(s):  
Daniel J. Howard ◽  
Roger A. Kerin

The name similarity effect is the tendency to like people, places, and things with names similar to our own. Although many researchers have examined name similarity effects on preferences and behavior, no research to date has examined whether individual differences exist in susceptibility to those effects. This research reports the results of two experiments that examine the role of self-monitoring in moderating name similarity effects. In the first experiment, name similarity effects on brand attitude and purchase intentions were found to be stronger for respondents high, rather than low, in self-monitoring. In the second experiment, the interactive effect observed in the first study was found to be especially true in a public (vs. private) usage context. These findings are consistent with theoretical expectations of name similarity effects as an expression of egotism manifested in the image and impression management concerns of high self-monitors.


1985 ◽  
Vol 30 (12) ◽  
pp. 999-999
Author(s):  
Gerald S. Wasserman

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