Self Control, Habit, Will Power: An Analysis and Application Report

This report analyzes an article by Neal, Wood, and Drolet focusing on the relationship between willpower, habits, and goal adherence. The author summarizes the article's core idea, which challenges the conventional view that a lack of self-control always hinders goal achievement. Instead, the report suggests that low self-control can sometimes enhance the ability to stick to habits and achieve goals. The author explores the implications of these findings, considering how they can be applied to improve lifestyle, maintain focus, and enhance both personal and professional relationships. The report emphasizes the importance of balancing willpower with good habits to achieve desired outcomes and overcome subconscious resistance. The author believes practicing these ideas can greatly improve their personal and professional life.

Running head: SELF CONTROL, HABIT AND WILL POWER
Self Control, Habit and Will Power
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SELF CONTROL, HABIT AND WILL POWER
Executive Summary
This report focuses on the article by Neal, Wood and Drolet on will power and its effect on goal
adherence. The first part of the report tries to identify the main discussion and after identifying,
the author discussed them based on his own understanding. Then the report tries to explore how
the main idea could be useful for the author and his classmates. The author found that it can be
really helpful to improve their life style and maintain the focus towards achieving the goal.
Finally the report focuses on how the idea can be implemented on the author’s life for his
development. The author believes that through practicing the idea effectively his personal and
professional life can be improved greatly.

SELF CONTROL, HABIT AND WILL POWER
Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
Generative Idea................................................................................................................................4
The usefulness of the idea for us.....................................................................................................4
Applying the idea in my career, relationships and personal development:.....................................5
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................6
Reference.........................................................................................................................................7

SELF CONTROL, HABIT AND WILL POWER
Introduction
In the article by Neal, Wood and Drolet the habit will power and motivation have been discussed
in close relationship with everyday reality. They investigated the conventional notion of blaming
lack of self control for losing goal adherence. Through extensive study they explored a different
perspective that lack of self control might actually help an individual to keep his focus in
achieving his desired goal. We could use the findings in our everyday life effectively for our
development, maintaining personal and professional relationship and reaching our destination.

SELF CONTROL, HABIT AND WILL POWER
Generative Idea
The generative idea of the articles is based on an investigation of what is effect of limited will
power on people’s habit in achieving their goals (Neal, Wood & Drolet, 2013). A person’s habit
can be defined as his regular practices that are difficult to give up (Gardner, 2015). Habits are not
preceded by careful cognitive mediation rather such conditions like motivation, self control and
depletion influence habits actively. These are automatic repeated responses cued externally
(Wang et al., 2015). Self control is not always the determining factor while dealing with goal
achievement. People experience self control yet they continue goal adherence even by taking
assistance from outside. The article tried to explore if these externally cued habitual practices
are capable of helping the goal achievement even when someone lacks resources for self control.
The findings established that lack of self control actually enhances the person’s will to perform
better and strong habits help them to achieve desired goals. Habits are neither goal dependent nor
memory dependent. The priming effect fails to motivate the subjects to act. The familiar context
helps the subject to express strong habits (Wood, 2017). Prior researches concluded that low will
power always leads the people towards bad habit, however this research proposes that their
psychological mechanism working on bad habits also working for the good habits. If the person
is experiencing high self control that influences him to distract from good habit by focusing on
different new goals. Therefore low self control on the other hand is capable of helping the person
to stick to his good habits for goal adherence.

SELF CONTROL, HABIT AND WILL POWER
The usefulness of the idea for us
The idea is specifically relevant for the generation of the fast pace era. The digital revolution has
changed the speed of life; everything is happing so fast and we the millennial are active
participants (Wajcman, 2014). We struggle to keep our concentration on single subject, our
minds get deviated easily. To try out new things we actually set new goals is every day and we
forget that this we keep distancing ourselves from the ultimate goal, we dreamed to achieve. It is
not like that we do not suffer from self control, we do. However this report demonstrates that low
self control can be a helpful as well. High self control deviate us from our goals but low self
control keeps us in the track to our destination (Steimke et al., 2016). Our self control should
always be aligned with our habits, and then only we can maintain a healthy practice and achieve
our goals easily.
Applying the idea in my career, relationships and personal development:
The idea will help me to keep the balance between the will power and good habit. I am focused
to achieve my career goals. However as an active participant of the dominant habitual practice, I
might also feel the challenges to keep my focus for the goal. The will power must be expressed
so it might sometimes be through bad habits but if it is not expressed it will have a longer
negative impact. There will be moments when I might feel the conflicts between the habits and
the actions I want to take. However depending on the possible outcome I will be able to make the
right decision. I will not focus much on measuring self power because now I know that keeping
the good habit is more important. By maintain so, I will be overcoming the subconscious
resistance; I will be strengthening my will power to achieve my desired goal. This will not only
help with my career, but also to maintain my professional and personal relationships.

SELF CONTROL, HABIT AND WILL POWER
Conclusion
The lack of self control is not always to be blamed for causing deviation from our goals. High
self control can also distract us from our mission by focusing too much on temporary adventures.
The good habits are more important than the power over self control. Lack of self control is not
always a bad thing; it has its god sides as well. We must stay focused, keep our good habit alive
and work on achieving our goals whether the self control strength is high or low.

SELF CONTROL, HABIT AND WILL POWER
Reference
Gardner, B. (2015). A review and analysis of the use of ‘habit’in understanding, predicting and
influencing health-related behaviour. Health Psychology Review, 9(3), 277-295.
Neal, D. T., Wood, W., & Drolet, A. (2013). How do people adhere to goals when willpower is
low? The profits (and pitfalls) of strong habits. Journal of Personality and Social
Psychology, 104(6), 959.
Steimke, R., Stelzel, C., Gaschler, R., Rothkirch, M., Ludwig, V. U., Paschke, L. M., ... &
Walter, H. (2016). Decomposing self-control: individual differences in goal pursuit
despite interfering aversion, temptation, and distraction. Frontiers in psychology, 7.
Wajcman, J. (2014). Pressed for time: The acceleration of life in digital capitalism. University of
Chicago Press.
Wang, L., Tao, T., Fan, C., Gao, W., & Wei, C. (2015). The Influence of Chronic Ego Depletion
on Goal Adherence: An Experience Sampling Study. PloS one, 10(11), e0142220.
Wood, W. (2017). The Role of habits in Self-Control. Handbook of Self-Regulation: Research, Theory,
and Applications, 95.