Abstract:This article demonstrates that a loss of personal control leads to an increase in selfregulatory behavior. This occurs because a loss of control puts consumers at a deficit relative to one of the major lessons they learn during their childhood, which is to have control over the outcomes of their actions. This deficit triggers a compensatory process focused on following other lessons that consumers believe they learned during their childhood. Because exerting self-regulation is another major lesson parents emph… Show more
“…LOC appears to be related feelings of control among adults. For example, Vanbergen and Laran () find that children whose parents did not emphasize self‐regulation could emerge as adults who felt less in control of their environment. According to Weisz et al (, 58), control is the “capacity to cause an intended outcome.” These authors suggest that control is a function of two factors: outcome contingency (the degree to which the outcome depends on the behavior of the individual) and competence of the individual.…”
Section: Literature Reviewmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…On the other hand, external‐LOC parents' greater trust in external sources like government or firms or regulatory agencies actions (cf. Vanbergen and Laran ), is likely to arise from the belief that government and other agencies are already acting in their children's interest via rules and regulations. H3: Faith in regulation mediates the association between external‐LOC parents and preference for government responsibility for managing child‐directed Internet advertising.…”
Section: Hypothesesmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…In contrast, if external‐LOC parents believe that they do not possess the necessary skills to solve a particular problem, they are likely to avoid such situations, especially those that require active involvement (Hoffman, Novak, and Schlosser ). Further, external‐LOC individuals tend to rely on traditional structure, patterns, and organizations which provide them comfort and confidence (Vanbergen and Laran ). These people have less confidence in using technology and thus are likely to exert less effort and time in mastering new technologies (Hsia, Chang, and Tseng ).…”
Section: Hypothesesmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…LOC appears to be related feelings of control among adults. For example, Vanbergen and Laran (2016) find that children whose parents did not emphasize self-regulation could emerge as adults who felt less in control of their environment. According to Weisz et al (1987, 58), control is the "capacity to cause an intended outcome."…”
Section: Literature Review Variation In Parental Views On Media and Amentioning
confidence: 99%
“…On the other hand, external-LOC parents' greater trust in external sources like government or firms or regulatory agencies actions (cf. Vanbergen and Laran 2016), is likely to arise from the belief that government and other agencies are already acting in their children's interest via rules and regulations.…”
Section: Faith In Regulation Mediates Regulation Preferencementioning
Recent research suggests that children are spending a significant amount of time on the Internet which increases their exposure to subtle, engaging, and interactive ads. As a result, policy makers have developed regulations intended to empower parents to manage their children's exposure to Internet advertising. However, prior research has not examined parental perceptions of these regulations. This article aims to identify (1) parents' regulatory preferences regarding children's exposure to Internet advertising and (2) whether (and how) parents' locus of control (LOC) drives their regulation preferences. Findings reveal that internal‐LOC parents prefer parental responsibility while external‐LOC parents prefer government regulations, parental responsibility, and involvement of independent organizations and firms. External‐LOC parents' preference is mediated by their concerns about Internet advertising and their tendency to have faith in regulation. Policy makers can use the findings to develop guidelines that better assist parents in influencing their children's Internet use.
“…LOC appears to be related feelings of control among adults. For example, Vanbergen and Laran () find that children whose parents did not emphasize self‐regulation could emerge as adults who felt less in control of their environment. According to Weisz et al (, 58), control is the “capacity to cause an intended outcome.” These authors suggest that control is a function of two factors: outcome contingency (the degree to which the outcome depends on the behavior of the individual) and competence of the individual.…”
Section: Literature Reviewmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…On the other hand, external‐LOC parents' greater trust in external sources like government or firms or regulatory agencies actions (cf. Vanbergen and Laran ), is likely to arise from the belief that government and other agencies are already acting in their children's interest via rules and regulations. H3: Faith in regulation mediates the association between external‐LOC parents and preference for government responsibility for managing child‐directed Internet advertising.…”
Section: Hypothesesmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…In contrast, if external‐LOC parents believe that they do not possess the necessary skills to solve a particular problem, they are likely to avoid such situations, especially those that require active involvement (Hoffman, Novak, and Schlosser ). Further, external‐LOC individuals tend to rely on traditional structure, patterns, and organizations which provide them comfort and confidence (Vanbergen and Laran ). These people have less confidence in using technology and thus are likely to exert less effort and time in mastering new technologies (Hsia, Chang, and Tseng ).…”
Section: Hypothesesmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…LOC appears to be related feelings of control among adults. For example, Vanbergen and Laran (2016) find that children whose parents did not emphasize self-regulation could emerge as adults who felt less in control of their environment. According to Weisz et al (1987, 58), control is the "capacity to cause an intended outcome."…”
Section: Literature Review Variation In Parental Views On Media and Amentioning
confidence: 99%
“…On the other hand, external-LOC parents' greater trust in external sources like government or firms or regulatory agencies actions (cf. Vanbergen and Laran 2016), is likely to arise from the belief that government and other agencies are already acting in their children's interest via rules and regulations.…”
Section: Faith In Regulation Mediates Regulation Preferencementioning
Recent research suggests that children are spending a significant amount of time on the Internet which increases their exposure to subtle, engaging, and interactive ads. As a result, policy makers have developed regulations intended to empower parents to manage their children's exposure to Internet advertising. However, prior research has not examined parental perceptions of these regulations. This article aims to identify (1) parents' regulatory preferences regarding children's exposure to Internet advertising and (2) whether (and how) parents' locus of control (LOC) drives their regulation preferences. Findings reveal that internal‐LOC parents prefer parental responsibility while external‐LOC parents prefer government regulations, parental responsibility, and involvement of independent organizations and firms. External‐LOC parents' preference is mediated by their concerns about Internet advertising and their tendency to have faith in regulation. Policy makers can use the findings to develop guidelines that better assist parents in influencing their children's Internet use.
People routinely encounter situations in which they have to decide between following their long‐term interests and seeking short‐term pleasure. An act of self‐control occurs when people follow their long‐term interests (e.g., eat healthy food, save money), whereas an act of indulgence occurs when people seek short‐term pleasure (e.g., eat tasty but unhealthy food, spend a lot of money). Avoiding the temptation of short‐term pleasures is often difficult, and sometimes indulgence can lead to harmful outcomes. For this reason, research has understandably focused on uncovering the many factors that can facilitate or undermine self‐control. However, making sense of this voluminous output is difficult without an organizing framework. This article provides such a framework, which organizes previous findings around three psychological processes: information activation and inhibition, priority setting, and responses to resource availability. The article concludes with a discussion of research ideas in areas that will be especially relevant moving forward.
Although personal control is a fundamental human need, research has not yet systematically examined how it functions in consumer and marketplace settings. This article reviews and integrates the existing research on the topic to provide a greater understanding of how personal control and consumer behavior shape and inform one another. We first integrate multiple streams of research to discuss the conceptualization and antecedents of personal control. We then propose an organizing framework that identifies two ways in which feelings of low control shape consumer behavior: through motivating consumers to look for a sense of order and structure in their consumption environments and through motivating consumers to use consumption activities to reestablish feelings of control. We close by highlighting several future research directions for advancing the current understanding of how personal control and marketing relate.
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