The effects of temptation coping strategies on self-control in academic situations

Abstract

This two-part study aimed to examine the effects of temptation coping strategies on self-control when faced with a conflict between academic goals and temptations. The results of Study 1 indicated that the general use of temptation coping strategies promoted goal pursuits. Study 2 investigated whether differences in the difficulty of goal achievement had an effect on the effectiveness of temptation coping strategies. Goal Verification, Temptation Avoidance, and Goal Execution, which are subscales of the Scale of Temptation Coping Strategies in Academic Situations, were effective strategies to facilitate self-control regardless of the difficulty of goal achievement. However, Mood Changing, which is another subscale of the Scale of Temptation Coping Strategies in Academic Situations, was a strategy that did not affect self-control. These findings indicated that the temptation coping strategies were largely effective in academic situations. The implications of adaptive self-control are also discussed.