Self-Control and the ‘Self’ Essay -- Psychology

Nearly everyone in the modern world has heard of the term self-control, a bring inmingly non-important or uninteresting topic of interest. However, self-control has been related to having one of the most significant impacts on a person. Even some have gone as faraway to say that self-control is the biggest predictor of a successful and satisfying life (Pinker 1), which are bold words for a topic that galore(postnominal) merely disregard. The thought of self-control is a concept coined in the Victorian era, and appears immensely throughout the novel, self-command Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength, written by R.F. Baumeister & J. Tierney. Essentially a self-help book, Willpower provides explanations for why humans are doing the things that they do, and why people arent always as virtuous as they may be expected to be. Self-control affects many facets of a persons life, and by looking at how it is presented in psychology, and in Baumeister and Tierneys novel, Willpower Red iscovering the Greatest Human Strength, one will see the correlations and differences between modern research and historical perspectives on the idea of self-control, and ultimately decide if the idea of self-control is an inherent trait or a conditioned condition. Self-control is a topic and concept argued frequently in the psychological world. Some believe that self-control is an innate feature of human kind, while others, analogous Baumeister, believe it is a characteristic that can be practiced and strengthened. Baumeisters model of willpower describes self-control as a muscle that can be depleted and replenished, just as any other muscle in the body. What is self-control exactly? Well, Freud was a psychologist who believed that personality is a biological component of ones-self,... ...Virtue, Personality, and kindly Relations Self-Control as the Moral Muscle. Journal of Personality 67.6 (1999) 1165-194. Print.Davis, Doug. A Glossary of Freudian Terminology. A Freud Glossary. Web. 3 Apr. 2012. .Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster. Web. 17 Apr. 2012. .Pinker, Steven. The Sugary Secret of Self-Control. NY Times. Sept.-Oct. 2011. Web. 4 Mar. 2012.The Science of Self-Control Paperback. Amazon.com The Science of Self-Control (9780674013575) Howard Rachlin Books. Web. 17 Apr. 2012. .Self Control in Society, Mind, and Brain. Alibris. Web. 17 Apr. 2012. .