Science of Self-Control (eBook)

Howard RACHLIN (Autor)

eBook Download: PDF

2009
240 Seiten
Harvard University Press (Verlag)
978-0-674-04251-3 (ISBN)

Infos

This book proposes a new science of self-control based on the principles of behavioral psychology and economics. Claiming that insight and self-knowledge are insufficient for controlling one's behavior, Howard Rachlin argues that the only way to achieve such control--and ultimately happiness--is through the development of harmonious patterns of behavior.Most personal problems with self-control arise because people have difficulty delaying immediate gratification for a better future reward. The alcoholic prefers to drink now. If she is feeling good, a drink will make her feel better. If she is feeling bad, a drink will make her feel better. The problem is that drinking will eventually make her feel worse. This sequence--the consistent choice of a highly valued particular act (such as having a drink or a smoke) that leads to a low-valued pattern of acts--is called "e;the primrose path."e;To avoid it, the author presents a strategy of "e;soft commitment,"e; consisting of the development of valuable patterns of behavior that bridge over individual temptations. He also proposes, from economics, the concept of the substitutability of "e;positive addictions,"e; such as social activity or exercise, for "e;negative addictions,"e; such as drug abuse or overeating.Self-control may be seen as the interaction with one's own future self. Howard Rachlin shows that indeed the value of the whole--of one's whole life--is far greater than the sum of the values of its individual parts.

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 1.7.2009
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Geisteswissenschaften ► Psychologie ► Allgemeine Psychologie
• Themenwelt: Geisteswissenschaften ► Psychologie ► Verhaltenstherapie
• ISBN-10: 0-674-04251-4 / 0674042514
• ISBN-13: 978-0-674-04251-3 / 9780674042513