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From willpower breakdown to the breakdown of the willpower model – The symmetry of self-control and impulsive behavior

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  • Dewitte, Siegfried

Abstract

Most contemporary self-control theories share two core assumptions. They assume that indulgence is the default option in self-control decision situations, and that successful self-control requires top down interference, either in the form of willpower (direct top down interference) or in the form of desire management (indirect top down interference). This generalized willpower model aligns with human intuition and many data. Some data, however, are difficult to reconcile with the basic assumptions of the generalized willpower model. This papers sketches how a more general model that can also incorporate the dissonant findings should look like.

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  • Dewitte, Siegfried, 2013. "From willpower breakdown to the breakdown of the willpower model – The symmetry of self-control and impulsive behavior," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 38(C), pages 16-25.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:joepsy:v:38:y:2013:i:c:p:16-25
    DOI: 10.1016/j.joep.2012.06.004
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    Cited by:

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Self-control; Self-regulation; Willpower; Desire management; Cognitive control;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D91 - Microeconomics - - Micro-Based Behavioral Economics - - - Role and Effects of Psychological, Emotional, Social, and Cognitive Factors on Decision Making

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