Psychology 3051 Psychology 305A: Theories of Personality Lecture 21 1.

Psychology 305 1

Psychology 305A: Theories of Personality

Lecture 21

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Announcement

I will hold additional office hours in preparation for the final exam:

Tuesday, November 29: 11:30 - 12:30Tuesday, December 6: 10:30 - 12:30 Wednesday, December 7: 12:30-2:30

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Self-Regulation Perspective

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1.How do our goals determine our behaviour? (continued)

2.How does the self-regulation perspective explain psychological maladjustment?

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1. explain how behaviour is regulated through feedback loops.

By the end of today’s class, you should be able to:

2. describe the hierarchical organization of feedback loops.

3. review explanations for psychological maladjustment offered by the self-regulation perspective.

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5. discuss the relationship between (a) goal dis-engagement and re-engagement and (b) psychological adjustment.

4. describe means-ends analysis.

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How do our goals determine our behaviour? (continued)

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• Ziegelmann, Luszczynska, Lippke, & Schwarzer (2007)

Recruited participants from an orthopedic rehabilitation facility.

Assessed goal intentions (e.g., “I intend to exercise as part of my daily routine”) and implementation intentions (e.g., “I have already planned precisely when and where to exercise”).

Measured maintenance of exercise 6 and 12 months following therapy.

Found that implementation intentions predicted behaviour at follow up; goal intentions did not.

Explanation: Implementation intentions produced “automatic scripts” that influenced behaviour during the follow-up period.

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• According to the Control Theory Model of Self-Regulation, behaviour is regulated through negative feedback loops:

The output of behaviour is compared to one’s goals; discrepancies result in changes in behaviour.

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Goal, standard,reference

value

Output function(Changes in next

behaviour?)

Effect on environment

Input function(perception of

behaviour/effect)

Comparator

Components of a Discrepancy-Reducing Feedback Loop

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• Negative feedback loops may be organized hierarchically to account for the relation between relatively high-level goals and relatively low-level goals:

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Highestlevel

Goal 1

Input 1

C1Output 1and

Goal 1

Input 2

C2 Output 2and

Goal 1

Input 3

C3

Ideal Self-Image(System Concept)

Be Conscientious(Trait/Principle)

Output

Study notes every day

(Behaviour/Program)

Hierarchical Feedback Loops13

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How does the self-regulation perspective explain psychological maladjustment?

• The self-regulation perspective suggests 3 explanations for psychological maladjustment:

1. Conflicting goals.

2. Poorly developed implementation intentions (may be overcome using “means-end analysis”).

3. Failure to disengage from unattainable goals and reengage with alternative valued goals.

Goal Disengagement & Reengagement Scale(Wrosch, Scheier, Miller, Schulz, & Carver, 2003)

If I have to stop pursuing an important goal in my life…

1. It’s easy for me to reduce my effort toward the goal.

2. I find it difficult to stop trying to achieve the goal.*

3. I stay committed to the goal for a long time; I can’t let it go.*

4. It’s easy for me to stop thinking about the goal and let it go.

5. I think about other new goals to pursue.

6. I seek other meaningful goals.

7. I convince myself that I have other meaningful goals to pursue.

8. I tell myself that I have a number of other new goals to draw on.

9. I start working on other new goals.

10. I put effort toward other meaningful goals.

* Reverse-scored items.

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low levels of perceived stress in life. low levels of intrusive thoughts. high levels of self-mastery (self-efficacy). high levels of perceived purpose in life. high levels of subjective well-being.

• The ability to disengage & reengage predicts:

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Self-Regulation Perspective

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1.How do our goals determine our behaviour? (continued)

2.How does the self-regulation perspective explain psychological maladjustment?