Pathways to Empowerment - Judith Wolf

1.3 Disruption in self-regulation

emotions, cognitions, motivations and behaviours in order to achieve goals that are important to them (De Ridder & De Wit, 2006). Self-regulation is successful when the processes involved in having control of oneself, as well as the resources needed to achieve a goal, are in order. These inner processes are called executive functions. Examples are: the ability to think before acting, the ability to regulate emotions, the ability to organise and the ability to plan and to prioritise. Many major social and personal problems in the West are associated with inadequate self-regulation, such as addiction, violence and crime, debt, sexually transmitted diseases, unwanted pregnancy, obesity and gambling (Baumeister, Schmeichel & Vohs, 2007). Self-regulation is inadequate if regulation of the executive functions fails (Van der Stel, 2013). The inability to control one’s own impulses, that is to say a loss of self‑control, is sometimes cited as the cause of this lack of self-regulation (Baumeister et al., 2007). As a result, influencing emotions, cognitions,motivations andbehaviour also leaves something tobedesired. Examples of disruptions in self-regulation are fear, sadness, despair, unprocessed grief (emotions); limited intellectual capacity or cognitive damage, for example due to non-congenital brain damage or excessive use of alcohol and/or drugs or natural cognitive decline as a result of aging (cognitions); helplessness, a feeling of paralysis, a feeling of lethargy (motivation); a lack of impulse control, such as excessive drinking or an addiction to eating or shopping, and compulsive actions (behaviour). In a very simplified form, a situation of inadequate self-regulation occurs, for example, if someone spends structurally more than their income allows and cannot control their impulses in that area. This leads to accumulating rent arrears and other debts, so that the person can no longer think clearly due to the stress, continuallydelays dealingwith the problems and is overcome by panic and despair when an eviction letter arrives. The quotes below are from a study of eviction (Wewerinke, De Graaf, VanDoorn&Wolf, 2014). ‘I just let things slide a bit and spent the money on other things instead of the rent. (…) It can be a nice dress that I want to have, and then I think: the rent can wait a bit; I’ll pay it when I have money again. (…) In the Netherlands they’ve got such a great word for it: having a hole in your hand. I’ve really got that.’ ‘I can’t face it, I can’t even manage it physically, packing my stuff. I’m knackered; I can’t do it. I don’t want to leave; I just don’t want to leave! (…) I’ve even thought: my son’s a minor, should I have him rob a petrol station? (…) I try to do it in an honest way, but I’m really desperate.’ Inadequate self-regulation has a negative impact on people’s health andwell‑being. Peoplewho are in such a state are surrendered to their impulses and environmental conditions, as it were, and they lose control of their lives. Inadequate self‑regulation contributes towards underachievement, in the sense that people who have lost

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