What is self-regulation and how does it shape the development of children and youth?

Abstract

Research on self-regulation has grown immensely in the past two decades. These studies have been conducted in numerous academic disciplines and their subfields, and are grounded in various theoretical perspectives. For example, within psychology alone, self-regulation research has been examined within cognitive, neurological, personality, social, and developmental psychology. In addition, self-regulation research has been conducted within other fields of study, most notably philosophy, criminology, and psychiatry. However, the varied theoretical and methodological approaches to the study of self-regulation have resulted in inconsistent definitions of the term self-regulation, and a somewhat fragmented research field. Nevertheless, most conceptions of self-regulation have this in common that they all aim to describe, in some way, a person’s ability to control their own thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. The varied theoretical foundations of the study of self-regulation also mean that it has been related to almost every aspect of human functioning, ranging from relationships with other people, to academic outcomes and school success, to health outcomes, to name but a few. In addition, various methods of conceptualizing self-regulation are employed, most notably methods that rely on self-evaluations (that frequently use questionnaires, e.g., long-term goal attainment) versus more direct measures (that often use measures of reaction time, e.g., of attentional control). As such, there exists a vast body of literature on self-regulation and its role in the adaptive functioning of children, adolescents and adults. However, the differences in definitions of the construct make it a challenge to provide a holistic, comprehensive and clear understanding of self-regulation and its role in healthy development. The current paper aims to present a brief discussion of the definition of self-regulation, how it relates to other connected constructs, and how it is associated with various developmental outcomes. In addition, we will briefly describe research that suggests how self-regulatory capacities may best be supported to enhance positive youth development.

First, we discuss the construct of self-regulation and how it is manifested in behaviors. As self-regulatory capacities change drastically during childhood and adolescence, we describe the differences we see in the self-regulatory skills of children versus adolescents and how these are manifested in behaviors. We briefly discuss how changes in self-regulation are related to brain and cognitive development. In particular, we explain how improvements in cognitive, emotional, and behavioral self-regulation during the preschool years are due both to brain development and enhanced executive functioning capacities, as well as being influenced by external factors, such as parenting and school practices. In adolescence, we describe how young people become increasingly better at controlling their own thoughts, emotions and behaviors, so that they are no longer limited to only reacting to the “here and now”, but also gain the ability to control their own actions in relation to long-term goals. In addition, we outline how self-regulation relates to, or overlaps with (and differentiates from), other related constructs describing some kind of control that a person has over his or her own functioning, such as self-control, grit, and ADHD. Finally, we provide a brief overview of how the self-regulation of thoughts, emotions and behavior relates to various aspects of development in childhood and adolescence, ranging from both positive outcomes, such as school success, self-esteem and physical health, to problematic outcomes such as anxiety and risk behaviors. Finally, we aim to briefly explain how recent research has provided guidance on how practical application can support the self-regulatory skills of children and adolescents. Hopefully, this overview will create a comprehensive perspective of what constitutes self-regulatory behaviors, how it relates to and differentiates from the body of literature on similar constructs, and how it is associated with the healthy functioning of both children and adolescents.