Self-control revisited: The case for a motivational neurovisceral perspective on self-control

Evolutionarily, self-control may be the most important characteristic that enabled humans to survive when confronted with danger and flourish in the face of challenges—in other words, to adapt to a constantly changing environment. It is no surprise, given its crucial role in adaptation, that willpower, as self-control is often colloquially known, is an important antecedent for a successful life (e.g., establishing a studying routines, stopping smoking, losing weight). A careful look at the self-control research revealed a “tale of two literatures”, that self-control has being investigated from different perspectives that barely connected to each other so far. Consequently, the aim of this overview was to establish the basis of a motivational neurovisceral perspective on self-control. We combined two main approaches to the study of self-control that have been developed independently in different fields: a motivational account coming from cognitive and social psychology, based on the process model (Inzlicht, Schmeichel, & Macrae, 2014), the opportunity cost model (Kurzban, Duckworth, Kable, & Myers, 2013), the integrative theory of self-control (Kotabe & Hofmann, 2015), and the strength model of self-control (Baumeister, Vohs, & Tice, 2007); and a neurovisceral account coming from neurophysiology, based on the neurovisceral integration model (Thayer, Hansen, Saus-Rose, & Johnsen, 2009). The new perspective will make it possible to integrate and extend the motivational and neurovisceral accounts, develop new research questions and hypotheses, and set the stage for integrated interventions aimed at enhancing self-control and preventing its failure.