Self-Control, Morality, and Human Strength

By Roy F. Baumeister, Julie J. Exline. 2000

197 citations recorded by the source corpus.

Self-control refers to the self's ability to alter its own states and responses, and hence it is both key to adaptive success and central to virtuous behavior, especially insofar as the latter requires conforming to socially desirable standards instead of pursuing selfish goals. Recent evidence suggests that self-control operates like a strength: It is weaker after an exertion, replenishes with rest, and slowly becomes stronger with repeated exercise. It has multiple links to personal well-being and reduced social problems.

Subfields: Applied Psychology, Social Psychology

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/00b6783847a85eef49cf6151eaa8447abcbae2d3

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Citations in the corpus

TARGET ARTICLE: Hope Theory: Rainbows in the Mind (2002, unknown): “This postulation is important for theoretical and practical reasons, but to my knowledge it has yet to be tested (although the ego depletion concept and research of Baumeister, Bratslavsky, Muraven, & Tice, 1998, and Baumeister & Exline, 2000, represents a conceptually related paradigm).”
Moral courage in the workplace: moving to and from the desire and decision to act (2007, background): “The reference to self-regulation as a moral muscle (Baumeister & Exline 2000) implies that it can strengthen with use.”
Religion, self-regulation, and self-control: Associations, explanations, and implications. (2009, background): “Baumeister and Vohs (2004) defined it as “how a person exerts control over his or her own responses so as to pursue goals and live up to standards” (p.”
In search of the unique aspects of hope: Pinning our hopes on positive emotions, future-oriented thinking, hard times, and other people (2002, background): “With trust in the goodness of a world that makes sense, the hopeful individual is willing to sacrifice immediate interests for the greater good—a hallmark of virtuous behavior (Baumeister & Exline, 2000).”
Self-Control and Crime/Deviance: Cognitive vs. Behavioral Measures (2003, background): “…and peer relations (Nakhaie et al., 2000), perceived risks and rewards (Nagin and Paternoster, 1993), gender (Burton et al., 1998; Keane et al., 1993; LaGrange and Silverman, 1999); age (Burton et al., 1998), and sequences of temptations (Baumeister and Exline, 1999, 2000; Muraven et al., 1998).”
Capacity for Self-Control and Individuals' Interest in Exercising Self-Control (2004, background): “…school, and peer relations (Nakhaie et al., 2000), perceived risks and rewards (Nagin and Paternoster, 1993), gender (Keane et al., 1993; Burton et al., 1998; LaGrange and Silverman, 1999), age (Burton et al., 1999), and sequences of temptations (Muraven et al., 1998; Baumeister and Exline, 2000).”
Exploring the Relationships between Organizational Virtuousness and Performance (2004, background): “It produces “moral muscle,” willpower, or stamina in the face of challenges (Baumeister & Exline, 1999, 2000; Emmons, 1999; Seligman, 1999).”
From Continence to Virtue (2008, background): “For instance, Baumeister and Exline (1999, 2000) have found that exercising self-restraint is hard work that can exhaust the psychological resources of the individual.”
Working memory: looking back and looking forward (2003, background): “…concept of an SAS fits neatly into research by Baumeister and colleagues on self-control, which they argue can be measured by a simple questionnaire that predicts a range of behaviours from resistance to petty temptations, through academic performance, to social and emotional coping capacity 114 .”
Flourishing: Achievement-related correlates of students’ well-being (2009, background): “Several lines of evidence suggest that negative moods reduce self-control (Muraven & Baumeister, 2000), but research linking self-control with direct measures of well-being is limited (Baumeister & Exline, 2000).”
How and When Does Emotional Expression Help? (2001, background): “Furthermore, it may cause them to feel alarmed by what they perceive as failures of self-control when their feelings spill out through involuntary expression (cf. Baumeister & Exline, 2000).”
Improved Self-Control: The Benefits of a Regular Program of Academic Study (2006, background): “Stress management strategies, however, should benefit people to the extent that by coping with life pressures effectively, people may store their regulatory strength for actions of self-change that truly demand the effort (Baumeister & Exline, 2000).”