The Role of Desire, Habit, and Temptation Resistance in the Relation between Trait Self-Control and Goal Success: A Study of Religious Goals in a Highly Religious Sample

IF 1.7 2区哲学 Q2 PSYCHOLOGY, MULTIDISCIPLINARY

International Journal for the Psychology of Religion Pub Date : 2020-04-02 DOI:10.1080/10508619.2019.1651192

Marie Good, M. Linzel, Russell D. Kosits

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引用次数: 6

Abstract

ABSTRACT Trait self-control (TSC) is typically conceptualized as the ability to resist immediately gratifying (but problematic) impulses, and it predicts many positive life outcomes. Recent research, however, suggests that the benefits of TSC may operate not through effortful resistance of temptations, but rather, via good desires and habits. This “desires and habits” hypothesis has been supported in several goal-related domains, such as healthy eating, exercise, and homework. In the present study, we assessed if the hypothesis would be supported in the domain of religious goals. Participants included 166 committed Christians, who identified one religious practice (e.g., prayer) in which they wished to engage on a daily basis. On five days over a two-week period, participants reported experiences regarding desire, temptation resistance, and completion of their religious practice. As hypothesized, TSC predicted the successful completion of religious practices, and this relation was accounted for by good desires and habitual performance of the practice, but not by temptation resistance. Results were consistent with the hypothesis that “self-controlled” individuals may attain their goals not because they stop themselves from giving into temptations, but because their desires and habits are such that they experience fewer temptations to stray from their goals in the first place.

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欲望、习惯和诱惑抵抗在特质自我控制与目标成功关系中的作用——一个高度宗教样本中的宗教目标研究

特质自我控制（TSC）通常被概念化为抵抗立即令人满意（但有问题）的冲动的能力，它可以预测许多积极的生活结果。然而，最近的研究表明，TSC的好处可能不是通过努力抵抗诱惑，而是通过良好的欲望和习惯。这种“欲望和习惯”假说在几个与目标相关的领域得到了支持，比如健康饮食、锻炼和家庭作业。在本研究中，我们评估了这一假设是否会在宗教目标领域得到支持。参与者包括166名虔诚的基督徒，他们确定了一种他们希望每天参加的宗教活动（如祈祷）。在为期两周的五天时间里，参与者报告了他们在欲望、抵抗诱惑和完成宗教实践方面的经历。正如假设的那样，TSC预测了宗教实践的成功完成，这种关系是由良好的欲望和实践的习惯表现来解释的，而不是由抵制诱惑来解释的。研究结果与这样一种假设一致，即“自我控制”的人可能会实现自己的目标，不是因为他们阻止自己屈服于诱惑，而是因为他们的欲望和习惯使他们最初经历的偏离目标的诱惑更少。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

International Journal for the Psychology of Religion Multiple-

CiteScore

4.20

自引率

4.50%

发文量

期刊介绍： The International Journal for the Psychology of Religion (IJPR) is devoted to psychological studies of religious processes and phenomena in all religious traditions. This journal provides a means for sustained discussion of psychologically relevant issues that can be examined empirically and concern religion in the most general sense. It presents articles covering a variety of important topics, such as the social psychology of religion, religious development, conversion, religious experience, religion and social attitudes and behavior, religion and mental health, and psychoanalytic and other theoretical interpretations of religion. The journal publishes research reports, brief research reports, commentaries on relevant topical issues, book reviews, and statements addressing articles published in previous issues. The journal may also include a major essay and commentaries, perspective papers of the theory, and articles on the psychology of religion in a specific country.