A Powerful Way to Increase Self-Control

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Who are you? How well do you know yourself? Are you sure of your answers?

The answers to these questions offer a window into self-concept, which consists of beliefs related to one’s attributes, such as personality, schemas, abilities, and social roles.

Whereas some self-concepts are distinct, others are not clearly defined. This is important because an incoherent self-concept is associated with reduced self-control—reduced ability to resist temptation and act in line with one’s long-term goals—according to a recent study.

The study was conducted by Jiang et al. and was published in a recent issue of Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin.

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Before discussing the new research, some background information is provided.

Self-Concept Clarity and Self-Control

Self-concept clarity refers to the “extent to which self-beliefs are clearly and confidently defined, internally consistent, and stable.”

When clarity is low, one experiences uncertainty and relies on external sources (e.g., coworkers, friends, or even Twitter followers) as a means of self-definition.

Hence, self-uncertainty correlates with greater vulnerability to external influence; for example, the mindless purchase of “recommended” products, the adoption of other people’s political and religious beliefs, or constant reassurance seeking.

Furthermore, low self-concept clarity is associated with a lack of self-control; this means having significant difficulty rejecting smaller-sooner rewards in favor of larger-later rewards. For instance, the inability to say no to the sexual pleasures of a one-night stand—instead of building a long-term relationship with the person one loves.

But how exactly does self-uncertainty affect the ability to exert self-control? That is the question the new investigation attempted to answer.

Investigating the Relationship Between Self-Concept Clarity and Self-Control

In their paper, Jiang et al. report the results of five studies. I'll provide a brief summary of the findings of each.

The authors found that people with low self-concept clarity:

• felt they lacked self-control (studies 1 and 2).
• did not want to practice and potentially improve their performance on a computer task (study 3).
• were less inclined to stay focused on a task or to follow an exercise regimen (studies 4 and 5).

The effects of low clarity on self-control were mediated by self-continuity, the sense of coherence between past, present, and future selves.

Takeaway

Self-concept clarity means having a lucid, coherent, and stable knowledge of one’s self-related beliefs.

Many individuals with social and mental health problems have low self-concept clarity and feel uncertain of who they are.

Without a distinct sense of self, these individuals may “seek out external sources to provide coherence to their identity.”

To illustrate, those with body image issues often rely on what society defines as attractive (e.g., muscular men and skinny women).

Self-concept clarity affects coping as well. People who are unsure of their identity tend to use denial and other passive coping strategies (e.g., drinking alcohol and doing drugs) rather than more effective, active coping strategies (e.g., planning, problem-solving, reappraisal).

Promoting the development of self-concept clarity may facilitate dealing with problems that involve self-control failure—be it unhealthy eating, obesity, alcohol abuse, drug addiction, criminal behavior, self-harm, compulsive shopping, or sexual compulsions.

Clarifying our self-concept may help us feel more in control and more able to resist temptations in pursuit of long-term goals. It may also facilitate socialization and ease the pain of rejection by strangers.

After all, part of what makes rejection so painful is the resultant loss of identity, self-esteem, and clarity about who one is. The less one relies on random groups and other external sources for self-definition, the less the pain of rejection.

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