ABSTRACT
The control tradition is the big competitor of the social learning tradition, with both advancing different views of human nature. I argue that these supposedly mutually exclusive views are not mutually exclusive, and that an evolutionary analysis shows them to be fully complementary. I then look at Travis Hirschi’s social bond and self-control theories with emphasis on the latter. I differentiate between self-control, self-regulation, and impulsivity as being undergirded by different brain structures. I that take a second look at the adolescent brain with emphasis on reward seeking and impulsivity. The anterior cingulate cortex (and gyrus) is examined as an area that integrates visceral, attentional, and affective information to make a decision regarding self-regulation.
