Situational Strategies for Self-Control

Situational Strategies for Self-Control

2016 January ; 11(1): 35–55 | Angela L. Duckworth, Tamar Szabó Gendler, and James J. Gross
The article "Situational Strategies for Self-Control" by Angela L. Duckworth explores the concept of self-control and argues that situational strategies can be highly effective in managing impulses and achieving long-term goals. The authors propose a process model of self-control, which organizes strategies into five families: situation selection, situation modification, attentional deployment, cognitive change, and response modulation. These strategies are designed to influence the stages of impulse generation—situation, attention, appraisal, and response—thereby weakening undesirable impulses and potentiating desirable ones. The article highlights empirical evidence from various domains, including substance abuse, eating and exercise, studying, and retirement savings, to support the effectiveness of situational strategies. It also discusses the underlying mechanisms by which these strategies work and suggests that they are indirectly intrapsychic, operating through changes in attention, cognitive appraisals, and response tendencies. The authors conclude by emphasizing the importance of early intervention and the potential for situational strategies to enhance self-control in both everyday and therapeutic contexts.The article "Situational Strategies for Self-Control" by Angela L. Duckworth explores the concept of self-control and argues that situational strategies can be highly effective in managing impulses and achieving long-term goals. The authors propose a process model of self-control, which organizes strategies into five families: situation selection, situation modification, attentional deployment, cognitive change, and response modulation. These strategies are designed to influence the stages of impulse generation—situation, attention, appraisal, and response—thereby weakening undesirable impulses and potentiating desirable ones. The article highlights empirical evidence from various domains, including substance abuse, eating and exercise, studying, and retirement savings, to support the effectiveness of situational strategies. It also discusses the underlying mechanisms by which these strategies work and suggests that they are indirectly intrapsychic, operating through changes in attention, cognitive appraisals, and response tendencies. The authors conclude by emphasizing the importance of early intervention and the potential for situational strategies to enhance self-control in both everyday and therapeutic contexts.
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