Self-Control, Cooperation, and Intention’s Authority

2020 ◽  
pp. 315-333
Author(s):  
Lilian O’Brien

In this chapter the author defends a novel view of the relationships among intention for the future, self-control, and cooperation. The author argues that when an agent forms an intention for the future she comes to regard herself as criticizable if she does not act in accordance with her intention. In contexts where the agent has inclinations that run contrary to her unrescinded intention, her disposition for reflexive criticism helps her to resist these inclinations. Such intentions have, the author argues, a built-in mechanism for exercising self-control. The author goes on to argue that this mechanism can also function as a mechanism for cooperative behavior. Agents are not just equipped to abide by plans for the future, they are also thereby equipped for exercising self-control and for cooperating.

2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (6) ◽  
pp. 521-554
Author(s):  
Laura Quinten ◽  
Anja Murmann ◽  
Hanna A. Genau ◽  
Rafaela Warkentin ◽  
Rainer Banse

Enhancing people's future orientation, in particular continuity with their future selves, has been proposed as promising to mitigate self-control–related problem behavior. In two pre-registered, direct replication studies, we tested a subtle manipulation, that is, writing a letter to one's future self, in order to reduce delinquent decisions (van Gelder et al., 2013, Study 1) and risky investments (Monroe et al., 2017, Study 1). With samples of n = 314 and n = 463, which is 2.5 times the original studies' sample sizes, the results suggested that the expected effects are either non-existent or smaller than originally reported, and/or dependent on factors not examined. Vividness of the future self was successfully manipulated in Study 2, but manipulation checks overall indicated that the letter task is not reliable to alter future orientation. We discuss ideas to integrate self-affirmation approaches and to test less subtle manipulations in samples with substantial, myopia-related self-control deficits.


2020 ◽  
pp. 434-452
Author(s):  
Erica Cosentino

Intertemporal choice scenarios are scenarios in which someone must make a choice whose consequences play out over time. In those scenarios, the capacity to exercise self-control involves making a choice that does not provide an immediate advantage for the present self and instead benefits the future self. In this chapter, the author argues that the extent to which one can resist temptation in those scenarios is a function of the extent to which one cares about one’s future self. Caring about one’s future self entails having a temporally extended self. Given that mental time travel is crucially involved in the coming about of the temporally extended self, the author acknowledges its importance in self-control. After clarifying what this hypothesis does not imply about the relation between mental time travel and self-control, she discusses two puzzles concerning the phenomenology of resisting temptation and, respectively, the explanatory power of the temporally extended self and a possible solution.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (11) ◽  
pp. e0242504
Author(s):  
Michael T. Bixter ◽  
Samantha L. McMichael ◽  
Cameron J. Bunker ◽  
Robert Mark Adelman ◽  
Morris A. Okun ◽  
...  

People encounter intertemporal decisions every day and often engage in behaviors that are not good for their future. One factor that may explain these decisions is the perception of their distal future self. An emerging body of research suggests that individuals vary in how they perceive their future self and many perceive their future self as a different person. The present research aimed to (1) build on and extend Hershfield’s et al. (2011) review of the existing literature and advance the conceptualization of the relationship between the current and future self, (2) extend and develop measures of this relationship, and (3) examine whether and how this relationship predicts intrapsychic and achievement outcomes. The results of the literature review suggested that prior research mostly focused on one or two of the following components: (a) perceived relatedness between the current and future self in terms of similarity and connectedness, (b) vividness in imagining the future self, and (c) degree of positivity felt toward the future self. Additionally, differences in how researchers have labeled the overall construct lead us to propose future self-identification as a new label for the three-component construct. Our research built on existing measures to test the validity of a three-component model of future self-identification. Across three samples of first-year undergraduates, this research established the psychometric properties of the measure, and then examined the relationships between the components and four outcome domains of interest: (1) psychological well-being (self-esteem, hope), (2) imagination of the future (visual imagery of future events, perceived temporal distance), (3) self-control, and (4) academic performance. We demonstrated that the three components of future self-identification were correlated but independent factors. Additionally, the three components differed in their unique relationships with the outcome domains, demonstrating the utility of measuring all three components of future self-identification when seeking to predict important psychological and behavioral outcomes.


2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 17
Author(s):  
Guifang Fu ◽  
Siman Li ◽  
Jia Guo

The problem of mobile phone dependence is becoming more and more serious. Therefore, it is very important to explore the causes of mobile phone dependence and its psychological mechanism. One of the important characteristics of mobile phone dependence is the loss of control, which shows that self-control is an important factor affecting mobile phone dependence. Self-continuity is closely related to cell phone dependence. Mobile phone addicts usually use mobile phones to temporarily relieve the pressure and negative emotions, but it will lead to more pressure and negative emotions in the future. In order to examine the situation of college students’ future self-continuity, self-control and mobile phone addiction as well as their relationships, especially mediating effect of self-control, a total of 482 college students were assessed with Future Self-Continuity Scale (FSC), Self-Control Scale (SCS), and Mobile Phone Dependency Index (MPAI). The results showed that: (1) The future self-continuity, self-control and mobile phone dependence of the college students in this study were all at a medium level, and there was no significant difference in demographic variables (such as gender, grade, etc.); (2) Both future self-continuity and self-control were negatively correlated with mobile phone dependence; (3) There was a significant positive correlation between future self-continuity and self-control; (4) Self-control played a partial mediating role between future self-continuity and mobile phone dependence. Therefore, improving self-continuity and self-control can be an effective way to intervene mobile phone dependence. In addition research implication, limitations and future directions were discussed.


2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Bartels ◽  
Oleg Urminsky ◽  
Shane Frederick
Keyword(s):  

Author(s):  
Daphna Oyserman

Everyone can imagine their future self, even very young children, and this future self is usually positive and education-linked. To make progress toward an aspired future or away from a feared future requires people to plan and take action. Unfortunately, most people often start too late and commit minimal effort to ineffective strategies that lead their attention elsewhere. As a result, their high hopes and earnest resolutions often fall short. In Pathways to Success Through Identity-Based Motivation Daphna Oyserman focuses on situational constraints and affordances that trigger or impede taking action. Focusing on when the future-self matters and how to reduce the shortfall between the self that one aspires to become and the outcomes that one actually attains, Oyserman introduces the reader to the core theoretical framework of identity-based motivation (IBM) theory. IBM theory is the prediction that people prefer to act in identity-congruent ways but that the identity-to-behavior link is opaque for a number of reasons (the future feels far away, difficulty of working on goals is misinterpreted, and strategies for attaining goals do not feel identity-congruent). Oyserman's book goes on to also include the stakes and how the importance of education comes into play as it improves the lives of the individual, their family, and their society. The framework of IBM theory and how to achieve it is broken down into three parts: how to translate identity-based motivation into a practical intervention, an outline of the intervention, and empirical evidence that it works. In addition, the book also includes an implementation manual and fidelity measures for educators utilizing this book to intervene for the improvement of academic outcomes.


2020 ◽  
pp. 45-59
Author(s):  
Natalia Petrovna Shilova ◽  
Pavel Petrovich Brudanov

This article describes the results of research carried out among youth for determining the perceptions of the image of the future. The image of the future is a dynamic psychological state that sets a vector of life and self-organization of individuals, and serves as the basis for projecting the development of personality and resources, essential for realization of its life path. Leaning on the analysis of existing perceptions of the image of the future suitable for youth, it was established that it relates to the perception of life as a dependent on the subject of activity, which correlates with independence, self-control, acceptance of social roles and emotional self-esteem. The author assumes that there are three key strategies in description of the image of the future for young men and women: planning, description of emotional relationships, and self-determination. The research involved total of 1,538 respondents (610 male and 928 female, aged 14-28. The classical methodology developed by I. S. Kon “Me in 5 Years” served as the main method for this study. Images of the future for young men and women contain both, different and similar strategies. Young women receiving vocational education see their future through planning, and the ones studying in high school and universities – through self-determination. Young men who study in high school and universities see their future through emotional relationships, and students of vocational education – through self-determination. This implies that namely the level of educational institution (school, university, vocational education) allows forming certain gender differences in the image of the future.


2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (29) ◽  
pp. 315
Author(s):  
Traore Massandjé ◽  
Crizoa Hermann ◽  
N’goran N’faissoh Franck Stéphane

This study aims to explain the link between the social skills acquired within families and the resilience to the criminal act in young people living in disadvantaged neighborhoods in Abobo. The research was carried out in Abobo commune and involved 74 participants from different social categories. The collection of information relating to the object of study was based on questionnaire, interview and observation. The information collected was analyzed from a quantitative and qualitative point of view. The results of the study indicate that youth who are resilient to delinquency in the community are of all ages and both sexes. The study shows that the resilience to the criminal act in certain young people living in the precarious neighborhoods of the Abobo commune is explained by the ability to ask for help, self-control, development of a sense of autonomy and a projection into the future.


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