ABSTRACT
One of the most far-ranging insights in modern psychology is that people have the capacity to actively take charge of their own behavior. Although people sometimes passively or impulsively let things happen, this is far from inevitable. Even in the face of mounting situational pressures, people can stick to their grounds and act in accordance with their personal beliefs, values, or moral principles. This remarkable ability allows for higher-order processes, such as the self to guide behavior, and is therefore central to self-regulation (Baumeister, Schmeichel, & Vohs, in press; Carver & Scheier, 1999). At the same time, the capacity for active control is a vital aspect of emotion regulation—the task of managing one’s emotional life (Gross & Thompson, 2007; Koole, in press).
