Perceived Self-Control Effort, Subjective Vitality, and General Affect in an Associative Structure.

Alex Bertrams

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.575357

Abstract

A crucial assumption of the recently developed schema model of self-control is that people’s perceived self-control efforts are related to the experience of lowered subjective vitality. In the present study, this assumption was tested. It was also examined whether perceived self-control effort is related to a diffuse affective experience (i.e., subjective vitality, general positive affect, and general negative affect as a combined factor) or is discretely related to subjective vitality, general positive affect, and general negative affect. Based on the previous literature, it was expected that the latter would better fit the data. In a survey study, university students (N = 501) completed standardized measures of their perceived self-control effort, subjective vitality, general positive affect, and general negative affect with regard to a specific frame of reference (i.e., during the current day and the last 2 days). Bivariate correlations and confirmatory factor analyses revealed the expected relationships, meaning that perceived self-control effort was negatively related to subjective vitality and that the statistical model with three distinct affective variables fit the data better than the model with subjective vitality, positive affect, and negative affect incorporated into one common factor. It was concluded that the findings are in line with the schema model of self-control.

Highlights

The human ability to exert self-control is crucial for positive functioning (Tangney et al, 2004; Baumeister and Vohs, 2016)
Three factor models were compared with the variables perceived self-control effort, subjective vitality, positive affect, and negative affect
A survey was administered to students who were in a situation that, on average, elicited the experience of lowered subjective vitality in comparison to their usual vitality levels

Summary

Introduction

The human ability to exert self-control is crucial for positive functioning (Tangney et al, 2004; Baumeister and Vohs, 2016). In this regard, self-control is defined as the process of overriding or altering one’s dominant response tendencies (Muraven and Baumeister, 2000; Bertrams et al, 2016). The demanded short-term exertion of self-control in the laboratory has been found to diminish subjective vitality (Muraven et al, 2008; Legault et al, 2009), and the intensity of self-control efforts over the course of the day was associated with reduced subjective vitality

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Conclusion