Looking at self-control development in adolescence through dynamic systems concepts: An agent-based modeling approach

Abstract

The significance of self-control for essential life outcomes necessitates the study of its developmental pathways. In other words, other than discussions of the factors associated with self-control in different developmental periods, investigating the processes that lead to self-control development is also essential. To address this need, in this article, we present a conceptualization of trait self-control and its development using dynamic systems concepts and explore the aspects of this conceptualization by systematic simulation experiments of an agent-based model. Moreover, our focus in this article is on the adolescence period, which despite being a period of lasting changes, has received less attention on the subject of self-control development. Using an agent-based model of the parent-adolescent dyad, we show how moderate rule-setting can enhance self-control development. By simulating the processes that shape the adolescent’s trait self-control in the context of family, we provide a framework that could guide future theoretical and empirical studies of this critical ability.