TY - JOUR
T1 - Individual differences and self-regulatory fatigue
T2 - Optimism, conscientiousness, and self-consciousness
AU - Solberg Nes, Lise
AU - Carlson, Charles R.
AU - Crofford, Leslie J.
AU - de Leeuw, Reny
AU - Segerstrom, Suzanne C.
PY - 2011/4
Y1 - 2011/4
N2 - Ability to self-regulate varies and self-regulatory strength is a limited source that can be depleted or fatigued. Research on the impact of individual differences on self-regulatory capacity is still scarce, and this study aimed to examine whether personality factors such as dispositional optimism, conscientiousness, and self-consciousness can impact or buffer self-regulatory fatigue. Participants were patients diagnosed with chronic multi-symptom illnesses (N= 50), or pain free matched controls (N= 50), randomly assigned to either a high or low self-regulation task, followed by a persistence task. Higher optimism predicted longer persistence (p= .04), and there was a trend towards the same effect for conscientiousness (p= .08). The optimism by self-regulation interaction was significant (p= .01), but rather than persisting despite self-regulatory effort, optimists persisted longer only when not experiencing self-regulatory fatigue. The effects of optimism were stronger for controls than patients. There was also a trend towards a similar conscientiousness by self-regulation interaction (p= .06). These results suggest that the well-established positive impact of optimism and conscientiousness on engagement and persistence may be diminished or reversed in the presence of self-regulatory effort or fatigue, adding an important new chapter to the self-regulation, personality, and pain literature.
AB - Ability to self-regulate varies and self-regulatory strength is a limited source that can be depleted or fatigued. Research on the impact of individual differences on self-regulatory capacity is still scarce, and this study aimed to examine whether personality factors such as dispositional optimism, conscientiousness, and self-consciousness can impact or buffer self-regulatory fatigue. Participants were patients diagnosed with chronic multi-symptom illnesses (N= 50), or pain free matched controls (N= 50), randomly assigned to either a high or low self-regulation task, followed by a persistence task. Higher optimism predicted longer persistence (p= .04), and there was a trend towards the same effect for conscientiousness (p= .08). The optimism by self-regulation interaction was significant (p= .01), but rather than persisting despite self-regulatory effort, optimists persisted longer only when not experiencing self-regulatory fatigue. The effects of optimism were stronger for controls than patients. There was also a trend towards a similar conscientiousness by self-regulation interaction (p= .06). These results suggest that the well-established positive impact of optimism and conscientiousness on engagement and persistence may be diminished or reversed in the presence of self-regulatory effort or fatigue, adding an important new chapter to the self-regulation, personality, and pain literature.
KW - Conscientiousness
KW - Dispositional optimism
KW - Self-regulation
KW - Self-regulatory fatigue
KW - Selfconsciousness
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=78650534988&partnerID=8YFLogxK
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U2 - 10.1016/j.paid.2010.11.011
DO - 10.1016/j.paid.2010.11.011
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:78650534988
SN - 0191-8869
VL - 50
SP - 475
EP - 480
JO - Personality and Individual Differences
JF - Personality and Individual Differences
IS - 4
ER -