Beliefs About Willpower Are Related to Therapy Adherence and Psychological Adjustment in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes

Bernecker, Katharina; Job, Veronika

doi:10.1080/01973533.2015.1049348

Cited by 27 publications

(46 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…One practical implication of the present research is that willpower theories might matter for subjective well-being in certain groups of people who face high self-regulatory demands, such as people with chronic diseases like diabetes (Bernecker & Job, 2015a), people trying to lose weight, people with jobs that demand a great deal of emotion regulation (e.g., teachers, nurses), or young parents. For instance, it would be interesting to test whether willpower theories predict the extent to which young parents remain able to strive for personal goals and do things that are personally important and whether this in turn affects their subjective wellbeing.…”

Section: Practical Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 93%

Implicit Theories About Willpower Predict Subjective Well‐Being

Bernecker

Herrmann

Brandstätter

et al. 2015

Journal of Personality

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Lay theories about willpower-the belief that willpower is a limited versus nonlimited resource-affect self-control and goal striving in everyday life (Job, Dweck, & Walton, 2010). Three studies examined whether willpower theories also relate to people's subjective well-being by shaping the progress they make toward their personal goals. A cross-sectional (Study 1) and two longitudinal studies (Studies 2 and 3) measured individuals' willpower theories and different indicators of subjective well-being. Additionally, Study 3 measured goal striving and personal goal progress. A limited theory about willpower was associated with lower subjective well-being in a sample of working adults (Study 1, N = 258). Further, a limited theory predicted lower levels of well-being at a time when students faced high self-regulatory demands (Study 2, N = 196). Study 3 (N = 157) replicated the finding that students with a limited theory experienced lower well-being in phases of high self-regulatory demands and found that personal goal progress mediated this relationship. Results suggest that the belief that willpower is based on a limited resource has negative implications not only for self-control but also for personal goal striving and subjective well-being.

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Section: Practical Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 93%

Implicit Theories About Willpower Predict Subjective Well‐Being

Bernecker

Herrmann

Brandstätter

et al. 2015

Journal of Personality

Self Cite

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show abstract

“…While these subscales correlate with one other, nuances in peoples' beliefs also predict their particular responses to those particular types of activities. For example, beliefs about strenuous physical activity being fatiguing are more related to physical activity, while beliefs about resisting temptations are more related to healthy eating (Bernecker & Job, ; Bernecker & Job, ). Other categories of activities—like empathizing (Cameron, Hutcherson, Ferguson, Scheffer, & Inzlicht, ) or being in positions of power (Egan & Hirt, )—might also be seen as fatiguing for some people but as neutral or energizing for others.…”

Section: Measuring Willpower Theoriesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Someone else could have generally low self‐control yet believe that strenuous mental activity improves their ability to engage in more self‐control. Furthermore, particularly when contrasting low‐demand and high‐demand situations, willpower theories are more predictive of outcomes than is trait self‐control (e.g., Bernecker & Job, ; Job, Walton, et al, ). This pattern of results supports the conceptual distinction of willpower theories and trait self‐control by suggesting that, even though a person might have high trait self‐control, believing that willpower is limited undermines their self‐control capacity specifically when self‐control demands accumulate.…”

Section: Measuring Willpower Theoriesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…By interfering in goal pursuit, a limited willpower theorist may be less likely to continue to pursue that goal when life becomes demanding. Limited willpower theories are also associated with poorer self‐regulation during times of high demand, which can result in poorer diet, less physical activity, and less adherence to medical therapy (Bernecker & Job, ).…”

Section: Everyday Outcomes Of Willpower Theoriesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…An experience sampling study of community members found that limited willpower theorists snacked progressively more than their nonlimited willpower theorist counterparts, particularly later in the day (Francis et al, in preparation). Diabetic patients who held limited willpower theories were also less likely to follow a healthy eating plan (Bernecker & Job, ).…”

Section: Everyday Outcomes Of Willpower Theoriesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Lay theories of willpower

Francis

Job

2018

Social & Personality Psych

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Some people believe that willpower relies on a limited resource and that performing cognitive work (such as using self-control) results in mental fatigue. Others believe that willpower is nonlimited and that performing cognitive work instead prepares and energizes them for more. These differing lay theories of willpower determine whether or not one's self-control performance actually does decrease or increase after use, with only limited willpower theorists showing a decrease (the ego depletion effect). Due to the self-control requirements of everyday life, willpower theories also predict outcomes across domains of academics, health, goal progress, interpersonal relationships, and well-being. Generally, limited willpower theorists' belief in their limited capacity results in poorer outcomes, particularly during times of high demand. By understanding how willpower theories form and function, interventions that encourage nonlimited willpower theories may be created to improve people's performance and well-being.

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Willpower beliefs and diabetes distress: a preliminary cross‐sectional study

Skinner

2021

Practical Diabetes

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This study aimed to explore whether beliefs about willpower are associated with emotional well-being. A cross-sectional study of 323 people with type 2 diabetes completed a short form of the Problem Areas In Diabetes Scale and the World Health Organisation five-item well-being scale, the Brief Illness Perceptions Questionnaire for diabetes (BIPQ) and the Implicit Willpower Beliefs to Resist Temptations (IWB-RT). A total of 332 individuals responded. They were a mean of 61.3 (SD 11.8) years of age, 68% were from the UK, 41% were female, and 30% had completed secondary education. They had diabetes for a mean of 10.0 years (SD 8.6), with 78% taking oral antidiabetes medication, 26% taking insulin, 71% taking medication for their blood pressure and 71% taking medication for their cholesterol. After controlling for demographics, treatment characteristics and illness beliefs, holding a resource limited belief about the nature of willpower was associated with reporting higher levels of diabetes distress. These results indicate that holding a resource limited belief about the nature of willpower may be a predisposing factor contributing to the development of diabetes distress. Longitudinal and experimental studies are required to confirm this possible causative role for willpower beliefs in the aetiology of diabetes distress.

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Beliefs About Willpower Are Related to Therapy Adherence and Psychological Adjustment in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes

Cited by 27 publications

References 39 publications

Implicit Theories About Willpower Predict Subjective Well‐Being

Implicit Theories About Willpower Predict Subjective Well‐Being

Lay theories of willpower

Willpower beliefs and diabetes distress: a preliminary cross‐sectional study

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