An investigation of naturally occurring episodes of self-controlled behaviors

The naturally occurring (i.e., self-initiated) episode of self-controlled behavior is a common experience that has received little attention from researchers. Through a structured interview procedure, a demographic questionnaire, and a paper-and-pencil test (Rotter's Internal-External Locus of...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of counseling psychology 1977-05, Vol.24 (3), p.178-183
Main Authors: Perri, Michael G, Richards, C. Steven
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Behavior Change
Human
Self-Control
Citations: Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The naturally occurring (i.e., self-initiated) episode of self-controlled behavior is a common experience that has received little attention from researchers. Through a structured interview procedure, a demographic questionnaire, and a paper-and-pencil test (Rotter's Internal-External Locus of Control Scale), the present study determined those factors and methods that are crucial to successful self-management. 48 male and 48 female college students were interviewed about their attempts to self-control overeating, smoking, studying, or dating; 12 "successful" and 12 "unsuccessful" Ss were interviewed in each problem area. Results indicate the following: (a) Successful self-controllers reported using more techniques for longer periods of time. (b) The use of self-reinforcement procedures was an important discriminant of successful self-management. (c) The methods used by successful self-controllers seemed to vary according to the problem with which they were dealing.
ISSN:0022-0167
1939-2168
DOI:10.1037/0022-0167.24.3.178