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Showing posts from June, 2023

Self-control

Self-control is the ability to regulate one's emotions, thoughts, and behaviour in the face of temptations and impulses. It is an aspect of inhibitory control and classified as an executive function since it is a cognitive process that is necessary for regulating one's behaviour in order to achieve specific goals. However, the lack of self-control or excessive self-control both extremes are deleterious to one's mental health.  On the one hand we have individuals who are into substance abuse who are characterised by their desire for instant gratification in other words their lack of self-control to delay reward. They show greater temporal discounting due to their impulsivity which leads to their addiction to narcotics, gambling, shopping, overeating, pornography etc.  On the other hand we have individuals with Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder (OCPD) - a mental health condition that causes an extensive preoccupation with perfectionism, organization and control over s