A NOVEL PERSPECTIVE: EXPLORING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SELF-CONTROL AND GOAL-DIRECTED BEHAVIOR. A sequential mediation model.

Abstract

This research is done as an extension of Gillebaart & Kroese’s research about selfcontrol, behavioral resistance and goal-directed behavior (2020). Their research concluded that people with high self-control feel less resistance to performing goal-directed behavior. This means that they are not necessarily better at inhibiting impulses or effortfully initiating unpleasant activities, but they appraise them in a different way. The current research introduces the regulatory focus theory as a potential mediator in this relationship. The expectation is that experienced behavioral resistance in high/low trait self-control individuals when performing goal-directed behaviors, such as healthy eating and exercise behavior, can be explained by having a promotion focused orientation. A cross-sectional study was conducted in which participants reported their level of self-control, regulatory focus, behavioral and actual healthy eating and exercise behavior. A double mediation analysis was performed in PROCESS (Hayes, 2012). Surprisingly, findings show that both for healthy eating and exercise behavior, the relationship between self-control and goal-directed behavior is not mediated by promotion focused orientation. Furthermore, a negative relationship between self-control and promotion focused orientation and behavioral resistance and both goal-directed behaviors exists. The lack of significant results may be attributed to limitations such as inadequate reliability of the RFQ and the assessment methodology employed. The predominance of students within the sample might have also influenced the outcomes warranting caution in generalizing the findings. Future research should replicate these findings to gain more knowledge about the relationship between self-control and behavioral resistance with promotion focused orientation as a potential mediator.