When I was reading the section in the book about self control, I was surprised with some of the context. Self control is defined as “the ability to control oneself in particular one’s emotion and desires especially in difficult situations,” (TED, n.d.). It was mentioned by the authors about how Skinner viewed self control, which he viewed it as, “not as an issue of willpower but an issue involving conflicting outcomes,” (Powell, et al., p. 389). This is an interesting point because most people associate self control with having the willpower to get up and do something. The video mentioned the self control that it takes to get eight hours of sleep and the factors that prevent a successful full eight hours. The factors that affect self control as mentioned in the video are stress, organization, and self esteem.
I agree with the video as well as the book that self control can be a difficult thing to manage and that it does take more than willpower to go forth with the control. We all struggle with self control. I recently have struggled with taking the time out of my day to go to the gym. I would make excuse after excuse as to why I could not go. I started going to the gym with a friend of mine three times a week. Some days I go by myself, if they are busy because I hold myself accountable towards achieving my goal. It is important to have some control over yourself because we have to take care of ourselves first. The first step towards having self control is taking initiative over your life, whether going to the gym or simply writing in a journal.
Resources
Cook, N. [TEDTALK]. (n.d.). [YouTube] Retrieved June 15, 2022, from https://www.ted.com/talks/nikhia_cook_the_meaning_of_self_control.
Powell, R. Symbaluk, D. & Honey, P. (2016). Introduction to Learning and Behavior, 5th ed. Cengage Learning.
This post was definitely relatable and interesting. Everybody has to have a little self control. The example that came to my mind was eating. Binge eating is a problem for a lot of people and it takes a lot of self control to overcome that. Taking care of ourselves first is a huge step everyone should take.
ReplyDeleteThis post was really interesting! Before reading the text I always thought willpower and self control went hand in hand. However after I finished the reading, I realized that was never the case. Self control can be easy for some people while challenging for others, but I agree with you that everyone has to have control over themselves and their lives.
ReplyDeleteThe TedTalk you included about self control gave great additional information on the topic of self-control. I previously also thought that self-control and willpower as the same, but learning the other factors that play a part in self-control were very informative!
ReplyDeleteIt has taking me years upon years to learn about self-control. Dealing with ADHD on top of that is even more difficult for myself, which is why I'm still learning. Going to the gym has always been an on-going topic for myself. It takes that one-step to do it and multiple jogs just to continuously do it. Your post was very informative and so was the TedTalk. Great job!
ReplyDelete