Synonyms
Sometimes used interchangeably with self-control (but see distinction made below)
Definition
The psychological process by which a person strives to attain valued outcomes. Self-regulation consists of all manner of goal setting and goal pursuit, which can be accomplished through both effortful control of behavior and effortless, automatic, or habitual forms of goal-directed behavior.
Introduction
Though the term self-regulation has sometimes been equated with self-control, here we use the term self-regulation more broadly to refer to the regulation of one’s behavior and emotions through the process of pursuing one’s goals, including goal setting and both effortful and automatic forms of goal-driven behavior (de Ridder et al. 2012; Fujita 2011). People engage in self-regulation throughout the day, and in many domains (e.g., work, leisure, health, sex, alcohol, tobacco, hygiene, sleep), as a means to reach both short-term and long-term goals (Hofmann et al. 2012). Such instances...
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Leduc-Cummings, I., Werner, K.M., Milyavskaya, M. (2017). Self-Regulation. In: Zeigler-Hill, V., Shackelford, T. (eds) Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28099-8_1179-1
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