In the past, psychologists were very focused on self-esteem as one of the most important factors in people’s success and mental health. Recently, however, psychologists started finding that self-esteem didn’t really have much effect on how likely a person is to become successful. They found that there was a mismatch in causation, that it was people’s success that gave them self-esteem, and not the other way round. Around this time, psychologists also started to look into the value of self-control.
When psychologists started to look more into it, they found that self-control had a huge effect on how successful people were later in life. People with high self-control tend to have more academic success, success in work, longer relationships, and are generally happier, due to having less stress. Because of this, research into the logistics of self-control has increased greatly over the last 10 years, with many taking a further interest in how self-control works as a concept. Typically, self-control is split into three components, which are used to measure self-control and explain how it works.
Standards
The first component of self-control to consider is standards. When practicing self-control, your standards are the ideals, norms, principles, and expectations by which you conduct that self-control. Your standards detail exactly what you want from a situation, and form the basis for your self-control. When practicing self-control it is critical that you decide what your standards are, and what you want to achieve from that self-control. Maintaining high standards can be very difficult, and having standards that are too high will make it virtually impossible to maintain proper self-control. On the other hand, having low standards tends to make things easier, but reduces the effectiveness of self-control.
A common example used when explaining self-control is through the idea of weight loss. Many people have dieted before in their lives, with the aim being to get fitter or reduce their weight. Naturally, people will have different outcomes in mind when they decide to start dieting. However, the standards chosen can have a huge impact on how successful people are with their dieting. If people set their standards too high, such as many of the standards of becoming thin, it is much more difficult to succeed in whatever task you’re trying to do. When trying to maintain good self-control, setting clear and realistic standards are very important
Monitoring
The second component of self-control is monitoring. Monitoring refers to the degree to which a person monitors progress and every action they take while completing a task. Different degrees of monitoring will have an effect on the outcome, and the level of control behind every action. Monitoring does not only refer to monitoring the outcomes of a task, but it also refers to keeping track of behavior during one. To link it to the example of dieting earlier, monitoring not only refers to checking your weight every other day, but also monitoring what you eat every day.
Research suggests that monitoring whatever you’re doing closely increases you chances of success greatly. It was found that people who weighed themselves every day had a greater likelihood of success in their dieting than those that did it once a week only. Another piece of research was conducted where at an all-you-can-eat restaurant, researchers had the waitresses clear the plates when customers were done with them, or let the plates pile up. The people who had their plates cleared ate significantly more, because they were not able to monitor how much they were eating. In this way, monitoring your behavior is extremely important for self-control, and managing success in whatever you do.
Willpower
The last component of self-control is your willpower. Willpower simply refers to your ability to hold off on things or to continue, as your energy. We know that people have a limited amount of willpower, and will lose control once they run out. However, measuring willpower is extremely difficult as there is no real way to quantify it. In relation to the example of dieting, if people are low on willpower, they are more likely to eat foods out of their diet, because they have the urge to. Their willpower is then not around to stop these urges.
With less willpower, a person’s self-control is limited, so it is important to maintain a good amount of willpower whenever you practice self-control. For example, it has been found by researchers that people who are trying to quit smoking while on a diet are wildly less successful than those who are only on a diet. This is because these people are using their willpower for multiple things, using too much ‘energy’, so to speak.
Increasing self-control
Using these components, it is impossible to increase the amount of self-control you have and use, by using it in a more efficient way. A person’s self-control can be compromised if any of these three components aren’t properly controlled. You need to make sure to set proper standards that you know are realistic and achievable. You need to consistently monitor your behavior and the results of whatever you are doing. Without proper monitoring, you are unable to properly control yourself, as you may be doing things that hinder you are unaware of it. Lastly, you need to keep your willpower in check. You must not do too many things that require hard decision-making, and trying to do too many things at once is nearly impossible.
Increasing self-control can be very difficult, but it will definitely end up worthwhile in the end, with many discernible benefits. As such, keep in mind these three components in daily life, so that you can make the most of the time you need to practice self-control.