Final answer:
Self-regulation is a process of control that enables us to direct our behavior, thoughts, and emotions to achieve our goals. It's linked to concepts such as self-efficacy, which is our confidence in our abilities, and locus of control, our belief in our power over our lives.
Step-by-step explanation:
A process of control that defines our selves and encourages or discourages certain skills is referred to as self-regulation. This concept is fundamental in personality psychology and relates to our capacity to manage our behavior, thoughts, and emotions in pursuit of our goals. Self-regulation involves a goal-oriented process, leveraging both internal and external feedback to maximize goal attainment.
It relates to our willpower to delay immediate gratification for longer-term rewards, as exemplified by the classic marshmallow test by Walter Mischel. This concept is also deeply intertwined with perceptions of personal control, as discussed by researchers like Albert Bandura and Julian Rotter.
Bandura's work on self-efficacy and Rotter's theory on locus of control highlight the cognitive aspects that influence our ability to regulate ourselves and the perceived control over our lives.
For example, a student with high self-efficacy might see a difficult assignment as a challenge to be overcome, whereas one with low self-efficacy might view it as a potential failure to be avoided.
Similarly, an individual with an internal locus of control might take responsibility for their actions and outcomes, whilst someone with an external locus of control might attribute outcomes to external factors beyond their control. Both self-efficacy and locus of control contribute to how we self-regulate in different contexts.