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Self-control
Selected AbstractsSELF-CONTROL, SOCIAL BONDS, AND DESISTANCE: A TEST OF LIFE-COURSE INTERDEPENDENCECRIMINOLOGY, Issue 4 2006Article first published online: 11 DEC 200, ELAINE EGGLESTON DOHERTY Theoretical debates and empirical tests on the explanation of stability and change in offending over time have been ongoing for over a decade pitting Gottfredson and Hirschi's (1990) criminal propensity model against Sampson and Laub's (1993) life-course model of informal social control. In 2001, Wright and his colleagues found evidence of a moderating relationship between criminal propensity, operationalized as self-control, and prosocial ties on crime, a relationship they term life-course interdependence. The current study extends their research by focusing on this moderating relationship and the developmental process of desistance from crime among serious juvenile delinquents. Contrary to the life-course interdependence hypothesis, the results indicate that whereas self-control and social bonds are strongly related to desistance from crime, there is no evidence of a moderating relationship between these two factors on desistance among this sample. The implications of this research for life-course theories of crime, future research, and policies regarding desistance are discussed. [source] SELF-CONTROL, CRIMINAL MOTIVATION AND DETERRENCE: AN INVESTIGATION USING RUSSIAN RESPONDENTSCRIMINOLOGY, Issue 2 2005CHARLES R. TITTLE With data from respondents in Nizhni Novgorod, Russia, we address the generality of self-control theory. We also assess two hypotheses. The first focuses on the attractiveness of criminal acts, that is, motivation toward crime. The second concerns the contention that the mediating link between self-control and criminal conduct is the failure of those with less self-control to anticipate the long-term costs of misbehavior. Although the magnitude of associations between self-control and indicators of criminal behavior is about the same in this study as it is in others, which suggests that the theory is not culturally bound, those associations are largely overshadowed by criminal attraction. Consistent with that, failure to anticipate costly long-term consequences does not appear to be the mediating link between self-control and criminal behavior: the evidence shows no tendency for sanction fear to be greater among those with greater self-control. In fact, sanction fear is modestly and significantly related to the crime measures independent of self-control, though sanction fear also appears to be influenced by criminal attraction. The results suggest that in the production of criminal behavior, motivation may be more important than controls inhibiting criminal impulses. [source] Religiosity, Self-Control, and Virginity Status in College Students from the "Bible Belt": A Research NoteJOURNAL FOR THE SCIENTIFIC STUDY OF RELIGION, Issue 3 2010Alexander T. Vazsonyi Using a sample of college students (N,= 904) from the "Bible Belt," this study examines the effect of religiosity and self-control on late adolescents' delay in initiating sexual intercourse or oral sex. Findings from logistic regressions provide evidence that for each one unit increase in self-control, the odds of a male remaining a virgin or of delaying oral sex increased by a factor of 1.82 and 2.84, respectively, while for females, the odds of not engaging in oral sex increased by a factor of 1.67. In addition to the effect of self-control, a one unit increase in religiosity results in the odds of a male remaining a virgin by a factor of 3.86 and 3.30, respectively. For females the odds are increased by a factor of 4.13 and 2.60, respectively. Mediation tests also provided evidence that self-control mediated the effects by religiosity on both dependent measures. Thus, both religiosity and self-control independently and additively function as key social control mechanisms that promote late adolescent health. [source] Hypo-Egoic Self-Regulation: Exercising Self-Control by Diminishing the Influence of the SelfJOURNAL OF PERSONALITY, Issue 6 2006Mark R. Leary ABSTRACT Theory and research dealing with self-regulation have focused primarily on instances of self-regulation that involve high levels of self-reflection and effortful self-control. However, intentionally trying to control one's behavior sometimes reduces the likelihood of achieving one's goals. This article examines the process of hypo-egoic self-regulation in which people relinquish deliberate, conscious control over their own behavior so that they will respond more naturally, spontaneously, or automatically. An examination of spontaneously occurring hypo-egoic states (such as flow, deindividuation, and transcendence) suggests that hypo-egoic states are characterized by lowered self-awareness and/or an increase in concrete and present-focused self-thoughts. In light of this, people may intentionally foster hypo-egoism via two pathways,(a) taking steps to reduce the proportion of time that they are self-aware (such as repeating a behavior until it is automatic or practicing meditation) or (b) increasing the concreteness of their self-thoughts (such as inducing a concrete mindset or practicing mindfulness). In this way, people may deliberately choose to regulate hypo-egoically when effortful control might be detrimental to their performance. [source] High Self-Control Predicts Good Adjustment, Less Pathology, Better Grades, and Interpersonal SuccessJOURNAL OF PERSONALITY, Issue 2 2004June P. Tangney What good is self-control? We incorporated a new measure of individual differences in self-control into two large investigations of a broad spectrum of behaviors. The new scale showed good internal consistency and retest reliability. Higher scores on self-control correlated with a higher grade point average, better adjustment (fewer reports of psychopathology, higher self-esteem), less binge eating and alcohol abuse, better relationships and interpersonal skills, secure attachment, and more optimal emotional responses. Tests for curvilinearity failed to indicate any drawbacks of so-called overcontrol, and the positive effects remained after controlling for social desirability. Low self-control is thus a significant risk factor for a broad range of personal and interpersonal problems. [source] Aripiprazole Effects on Alcohol Consumption and Subjective Reports in a Clinical Laboratory Paradigm,Possible Influence of Self-ControlALCOHOLISM, Issue 11 2008Konstantin Voronin Introduction:, There has been increasing interest in the use of medications that affect the dopamine receptor in the treatment of alcoholism. Aripiprazole has the unique pharmacology of being a partial dopamine agonist serving to stabilize brain dopamine systems in both frontal cortical and subcortical areas. As such, it might act to dampen alcohol reinforcement and craving and/or alter control over alcohol use. The current clinical laboratory study was conducted to evaluate the safety and efficacy of aripiprazole as a potential agent to alter drinking and objective effects of alcohol. Methods:, Thirty nontreatment seeking alcoholics were enrolled in a subacute human laboratory study and received double-blind treatment with up to 15 mg of aripiprazole (n = 15) or identical placebo (n = 15) for 8 days. Tolerability and utility of aripiprazole was monitored during natural drinking over the first 6 days of medication treatment and also during a free choice limited access alcohol consumption paradigm following an initial drink of alcohol in a bar-lab setting on Day 8. Results:, Aripiprazole was well tolerated and reduced drinking in nontreatment seeking alcoholics over 6 days of natural drinking,especially in those with lower self control (more impulsive). It also reduced drinks in the bar-lab after a priming drink and broke the link between priming drink induced stimulation and further drinking. During the bar-lab drinking session, there were no differences in subjective high, intoxication, or craving between subjects treated with aripiprazole or placebo. Discussion:, This study joins several others in demonstrating the utility of subacute dosing laboratory paradigms for evaluating medication effects in alcoholics. Aripiprazole was well tolerated and lowered alcohol use, especially in those with lower impulse control. Further study is needed to determine the safety and utility of aripiprazole in the treatment of alcoholism and if subgroups of alcoholics are more likely to respond. [source] Linking Changes in Parenting to Parent,Child Relationship Quality and Youth Self-Control: The Strong African American Families ProgramJOURNAL OF RESEARCH ON ADOLESCENCE, Issue 1 2005Gene H. Brody A randomized prevention trial was conducted contrasting families who took part in the Strong African American Families Program (SAAF), a preventive intervention for rural African American mothers and their 11-year-olds, with control families. SAAF is based on a conceptual model positing that changes in intervention-targeted parenting behaviors would enhance responsive-supportive parent,child relationships and youths' self-control, which protect rural African American youths from substance use and early sexual activity. Parenting variables included involvement-vigilance, racial socialization, communication about sex, and clear expectations for alcohol use. Structural equation modeling analyses indicated that intervention-induced changes in parenting were linked with changes in responsive,supportive parent,child relationships and youth self-control. [source] I, Too, Sail Past: Odysseus and the Logic of Self-ControlKYKLOS INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF SOCIAL SCIENCES, Issue 2 2000David Sally First page of article [source] Metacognition, Theory of Mind, and Self-Control: The Relevance of High-Level Cognitive Processes in Development, Neuroscience, and EducationMIND, BRAIN, AND EDUCATION, Issue 3 2008Beate Sodian ABSTRACT, The cognitive control of behavior is critical for success in school. The emergence of self-control in development has been linked to the ability to represent one's own and others' mental states (theory of mind and metacognition). Despite rapid progress in exploring the neural correlates of both mind reading and executive function in recent years, to date, the implications of these high-level cognitive processes for issues relevant to education have hardly been addressed. The present special issue brings together developmental perspectives on the relation of self-control, theory of mind, and metacognition; theoretical and empirical contributions on the implications of theory of mind and self-control for teaching and learning; and brief reviews of the state of the art in cognitive neuroscience on these high-level cognitive processes in adolescents and adults. [source] Self-Expression and Self-ControlRATIO, Issue 4 2004Marya Schechtman It is often said that people are ,not themselves' when they are in situations which rob them of their self-control. Strangely, these are also circumstances in which people are often said to be most fully themselves. This paper investigates the pictures of the self behind these two truisms, and the relation between them. Harry Frankfurt's work represents the first truism, and standard objections to his work the second. Each of these approaches is found to capture one independent and widely employed picture of the self. The connection each draws between being oneself and flourishing, however, suggests a point of contact between them. This point of contact is used to develop a third view of being oneself which integrates the insights of the other two. [source] Book Review Feature: Two Reviews of The Challenge of Affulence: Self-Control and Well-Being in the United States and Britain Since 1950,THE ECONOMIC JOURNAL, Issue 521 2007Andrew J. Oswald Is affluence a good thing? The book The Challenge of Affluence by Avner Offer (2006) argues that economic prosperity weakens self-control and undermines human well-being. Consistent with a pessimistic view, we show that psychological distress has been rising through time in modern Great Britain. Taking over-eating as an example, our data reveal that half the British population view themselves as overweight, and that happiness and mental health are worse among fatter people in Britain and Germany. Comparisons also matter. We discuss problems of inference and argue that longitudinal data are needed. We suggest a theory of obesity imitation where utility depends on relative weight. [source] Self-control and Resistance to School,CANADIAN REVIEW OF SOCIOLOGY/REVUE CANADIENNE DE SOCIOLOGIE, Issue 4 2000M. Reza Nakhaie Dans cet article, on examine la relation entre l'autocontrôle, le contrôle social et la résistance au système scolaire. Les données d'étude sont tirées d'un sondage réalisé auprès d'étudiants des premier et deuxième cycles du secondaire en Alberta. Les résultats de ce sondage penchent fortement en faveur de la General Theory of Crime (Gottfredson et Hirschi, 1990), selon laquelle la perte d'autocontrôle est le prédicteur le plus sûr de tous les types de résistance. Les résultats soutiennent l'hypothèse voulant que, si le lien entre classe sociale (ou bien genre ou appartenance ethnique) et résistance est ténu (au Canada du moins), c'est peut-être parce que les mécanismes d'autocontrôle qui suscitent ou rejettent le phénomène de résistance ne sont pas intimement liés à la classe sociale (ou bien au genre ou à l'appartenance ethnique). Toutefois, le sexe, l'âge, la classe sociale et l'appartenance ethnique restent étroitement liés à certains ou à l'ensemble des aspects de la résistance au système scolaire même en présence d'autocontrôle. Les conclusions de la General Theory of Crime et leurs répercussions sont également abordées ici. This paper tests the relationship between self-control, social control and resistance to school. The data source is a survey of senior and junior high-school students in Alberta, Canada. Results offer strong support for the General Theory of Crime (Gottfredson and Hirschi, 1990) in that lack of self-control is the strongest predictor of all types of resistance. The results support the hypothesis that if the link between social class (or gender and ethnicity) and resistance is low (at least in Canada), it may be because self-control mechanisms that produce or repudiate resistance are not strongly linked to social class (or gender and ethnicity). Nevertheless, gender, age, class and ethnicity maintain a significant relationship with some or all aspects of resistance to school even after controlling for self-control. Implications of the findings for the General Theory of Crime are discussed. [source] Does self-control account for the relationship between binge drinking and alcohol-related behaviours?CRIMINAL BEHAVIOUR AND MENTAL HEALTH, Issue 2 2002Alex R. Piquero Introduction Gottfredson and Hirschi's theory that there is an underlying factor accounting for all sorts of antisocial behaviour has attracted widespread theoretical and empirical attention. One of their most controversial statements is a ,generality' hypothesis, a notion that criminal, deviant and reckless acts are highly correlated because they are caused by individual differences in self-control. In this paper, we examine the extent to which self-control accounts for the relationship between two behaviours: binge drinking and involvement in alcohol-related behaviours, including criminal behaviour. Method Questionnaires were given to students at a southern US university. A final sample of 241 students (35% males, 91% whites, aged 17,40). One question concerned binge-drinking, 11 others related to other alcohol-related behaviour; a 24-item scale measured self-control and sex was recorded. A probit model was used to test the effect of low self-control on binge drinking and on other alcohol-related behaviours. It was found that self-control exhibits a positive effect on both. But binge drinking and other alcohol-related behaviours are correlated, so a further analysis using a bivariate probit model was undertaken using a naïve model (no covariates), an unconstrained model (allowing self-control to exert a unique effect on both outcomes), and a constrained model forcing self-control to be the same for both outcomes. Results Our results suggest that while low self-control is a significant predictor of both binge drinking and alcohol-related problems, it does not fully account for the relationship between the two outcomes. In addition, separate estimation for each sex reveal a substantively different pattern of results. Discussion Further research is needed to disentangle the differences between the sexes. Situational factors, especially in males, may account for adverse alcohol-related behaviours. Other measures of self-control are also needed. Copyright © 2002 Whurr Publishers Ltd. [source] SELF-CONTROL, SOCIAL BONDS, AND DESISTANCE: A TEST OF LIFE-COURSE INTERDEPENDENCECRIMINOLOGY, Issue 4 2006Article first published online: 11 DEC 200, ELAINE EGGLESTON DOHERTY Theoretical debates and empirical tests on the explanation of stability and change in offending over time have been ongoing for over a decade pitting Gottfredson and Hirschi's (1990) criminal propensity model against Sampson and Laub's (1993) life-course model of informal social control. In 2001, Wright and his colleagues found evidence of a moderating relationship between criminal propensity, operationalized as self-control, and prosocial ties on crime, a relationship they term life-course interdependence. The current study extends their research by focusing on this moderating relationship and the developmental process of desistance from crime among serious juvenile delinquents. Contrary to the life-course interdependence hypothesis, the results indicate that whereas self-control and social bonds are strongly related to desistance from crime, there is no evidence of a moderating relationship between these two factors on desistance among this sample. The implications of this research for life-course theories of crime, future research, and policies regarding desistance are discussed. [source] EXPLAINING THE ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE-DELINQUENCY RELATIONSHIP,CRIMINOLOGY, Issue 2 2006RICHARD B. FELSON We use data from the National Education Longitudinal Survey to examine the relationship between academic performance and delinquency. We estimate the effects of grades in tenth grade on delinquency in twelfth grade, and then introduce controls for social bonds and self-control (teacher-rated effort). The findings indicate that the feedback that adolescents receive in the form of grades does not affect their delinquent behavior, that academic performance and delinquency have instead a spurious relationship. Our evidence suggests that this relationship is attributable primarily to the effects of individual differences in self-control, not to those of social bonds. [source] SELF-CONTROL, CRIMINAL MOTIVATION AND DETERRENCE: AN INVESTIGATION USING RUSSIAN RESPONDENTSCRIMINOLOGY, Issue 2 2005CHARLES R. TITTLE With data from respondents in Nizhni Novgorod, Russia, we address the generality of self-control theory. We also assess two hypotheses. The first focuses on the attractiveness of criminal acts, that is, motivation toward crime. The second concerns the contention that the mediating link between self-control and criminal conduct is the failure of those with less self-control to anticipate the long-term costs of misbehavior. Although the magnitude of associations between self-control and indicators of criminal behavior is about the same in this study as it is in others, which suggests that the theory is not culturally bound, those associations are largely overshadowed by criminal attraction. Consistent with that, failure to anticipate costly long-term consequences does not appear to be the mediating link between self-control and criminal behavior: the evidence shows no tendency for sanction fear to be greater among those with greater self-control. In fact, sanction fear is modestly and significantly related to the crime measures independent of self-control, though sanction fear also appears to be influenced by criminal attraction. The results suggest that in the production of criminal behavior, motivation may be more important than controls inhibiting criminal impulses. [source] Neuropsychological effects of hyperbaric oxygen therapy in cerebral palsyDEVELOPMENTAL MEDICINE & CHILD NEUROLOGY, Issue 7 2002Paule Hardy We conducted a double-blind placebo study to investigate the claim that hyperbaric oxygen treatment (HBO2) improves the cognitive status of children with cerebral palsy (CP). Of 111 children diagnosed with CP (aged 4 to 12 years), only 75 were suitable for neuropsychological testing, assessing attention, working memory, processing speed, and psychosocial functioning. The children received 40 sessions of HBO2 or sham treatment over a 2-month period. Children in the active treatment group were exposed for 1 hour to 100% oxygen at 1.75 atmospheres absolute (ATA), whereas those in the sham group received only air at 1.3 ATA. Children in both groups showed better self-control and significant improvements in auditory attention and visual working memory compared with the baseline. However, no statistical difference was found between the two treatments. Furthermore, the sham group improved significantly on eight dimensions of the Conners'Parent Rating Scale, whereas the active treatment group improved only on one dimension. Most of these positive changes persisted for 3 months. No improvements were observed in either group for verbal span, visual attention, or processing speed. [source] A longitudinal, microgenetic study of the emergence of false belief understanding and inhibition skillsDEVELOPMENTAL SCIENCE, Issue 1 2004Emma Flynn Two theories that attempt to explain the relationship between false belief understanding and inhibition skills were investigated: (1) theory of mind development improves self-control, and (2) executive control is necessary for developing a theory of mind. A microgenetic approach was adopted, with a group of 21 children completing a battery of inhibition and false belief understanding tasks every four weeks for six phases of testing. The results showed that the majority of children were able to perform well on a test of executive inhibition before having a good understanding of false beliefs, thus supporting theory (2). The results also illustrated that while the children's inhibition skills developed relatively gradually, their understanding of false beliefs progressed from a consistent lack of understanding through a period of unstable performance, during which some children failed tests that they had previously passed. [source] Gender differences in genetic and environmental influences on gambling: results from a sample of twins from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent HealthADDICTION, Issue 3 2010Kevin M. Beaver ABSTRACT Aims To examine the extent to which genetic factors and shared and non-shared environmental factors are implicated in the development of gambling behaviors and to examine whether there are gender differences in the genetic and environmental contributors to gambling behaviors. Design A genetically informative analysis was performed by using DeFries,Fulker (DF) analysis. Setting Analysis of secondary data drawn from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health). Participants A total of 324 monozygotic (MZ) twins and 278 same-sex dizygotic (DZ) twins were included in the analysis. Of these twins, there were 150 male MZ twins, 144 male DZ twins, 174 female MZ twins and 134 female DZ twins. Measurements Gambling behavior was measured through eight self-reported questions that tapped a range of items designed to measure problems related to gambling. Self-reported measures of self-control and delinquent involvement were also included to examine the degree to which these factors covaried with gambling behavior. Findings The results of the DF analysis indicated that when male and female twin pairs were analyzed simultaneously, genetic factors explained approximately 70% of the variance in gambling and non-shared environmental factors explained the remaining variance. When gender-specific models were calculated, substantial gender differences emerged. For males, genetic factors explained approximately 85% of the variance in gambling, with the non-shared environment accounting for the remaining variance. For females, genetic factors explained none of the variance in gambling behaviors, while the shared environment explained 45% of the variance and the non-shared environment explained 55% of the variance. Conclusions Analysis of twins from the Add Health data suggests that there are significant gender differences in the genetic and environmental underpinnings to gambling behaviors. [source] Addiction as excessive appetiteADDICTION, Issue 1 2001Jim Orford The excessive appetite model of addiction is summarized. The paper begins by considering the forms of excessive appetite which a comprehensive model should account for: principally, excessive drinking, smoking, gambling, eating, sex and a diverse range of drugs including at least heroin, cocaine and cannabis. The model rests, therefore, upon a broader concept of what constitutes addiction than the traditional, more restricted, and arguably misleading definition. The core elements of the model include: very skewed consumption distribution curves; restraint, control or deterrence; positive incentive learning mechanisms which highlight varied forms of rapid emotional change as rewards, and wide cue conditioning; complex memory schemata; secondary, acquired emotional regulation cycles, of which 'chasing', 'the abstinence violation effect' and neuroadaptation are examples; and the consequences of conflict. These primary and secondary processes, occurring within diverse sociocultural contexts, are sufficient to account for the development of a strong attachment to an appetitive activity, such that self-control is diminished, and behaviour may appear to be disease-like. Giving up excess is a natural consequence of conflict arising from strong and troublesome appetite. There is much supportive evidence that change occurs outside expert treatment, and that when it occurs within treatment the change processes are more basic and universal than those espoused by fashionable expert theories. [source] Contemporary issues and future directions for research into pathological gamblingADDICTION, Issue 8 2000Article first published online: 2 SEP 200 The recent healthy increase in research into all aspects of gambling is noted. The dominant theme accounting for most of this research is the mental disorder model of pathological gambling and measures that have been derived from this conceptualization. It is suggested that an alternative approach focusing on the construct of choice or subjective control over gambling may be a research direction that will ensure that progress is maintained. In this paper a context for the discussion is provided by first identifying briefly fundamental conceptual and methodological issues associated with the mental disorder model. In particular it is argued that the heterogeneity of the diagnosis of pathological gambling makes the research task of assessing truly independent variables extremely difficult. Subsequently an illustrative schema is presented that demonstrates both the potential advantages and some of the complexities associated with the dependent variable of self-control over gambling behaviour. The main advantages are argued to be (a) the focus of research is narrowed to one potential cause of harmful impacts rather than the great diversity of impacts themselves, (b) prospective studies of regular gamblers in real gambling venues may be a key source of insight into the development of pathological gambling and (c) it promotes the development of theoretical links with the mainstream of the discipline of psychology. Despite the conceptual difficulties that may be associated with the variable of self-control, it is suggested that these may be overcome because contemporary research into the addictive behaviours has demonstrated considerable success in the definition and measurement of control and related themes such as craving, restraint and temptation. [source] Cooling the heat of temptation: Mental self-control and the automatic evaluation of tempting stimuliEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 1 2010Wilhelm Hofmann The present research investigated whether mental self-control strategies can reduce the automatic positivity elicited by tempting stimuli. In two studies employing chocolate as the temptation of interest, we found that participants instructed to imagine a chocolate product in a nonconsummatory manner exhibited significantly less automatic positivity with regard to the product as compared to participants instructed to imagine the hedonic, consummatory aspects of the product and control participants engaged in a neutral task. These findings were replicated in a second study. Additionally, in Study 2 we found that automatic evaluations of chocolate were lowest for participants instructed to form implementation intentions to refrain from consumption. Taken together, these findings demonstrate that mental self-control strategies such as nonconsummatory transformation and implementation intentions extend to the level of automatic processing by reducing the positivity of automatically activated affective responses. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Overcoming ego depletion: the influence of exemplar priming on self-control performanceEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 2 2007Carolien Martijn Self-regulation research suggested that active self-control depends on a limited resource. Therefore the capacity for self-control is lower among people who already exercised control, a phenomenon labelled as ego depletion. This experiment examines whether priming of a persistent person exemplar may help to overcome ego depletion. Half of the participants engaged in a demanding self-control task (solving extremely difficult labyrinths) whereas the other half took part in a task that demanded little self-control (solving easy labyrinths). Then, half of the participants received a person exemplar prime related to persistence; the other half received a neutral prime. Finally, participants' persistence on a subsequent self-control task (squeezing a handgrip) was measured. The effect of a person exemplar prime on a subsequent self-control task depended on initial self-control demands. Participants who exercised high initial self-control and were then presented with a persistent exemplar prime showed assimilation. Their handgrip persistence was higher than the persistence of participants who received a neutral prime. Under conditions of low initial self-control the opposite pattern was found. A persistent person prime resulted in contrast and resulted in lower handgrip performance as compared to those who received a neutral prime. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] The C-terminal region of the proprotein convertase 1/3 (PC1/3) exerts a bimodal regulation of the enzyme activity in vitroFEBS JOURNAL, Issue 13 2007Nadia Rabah The proprotein convertase PC1/3 preferentially cleaves its substrates in the dense core secretory granules of endocrine and neuroendocrine cells. Similar to most proteinases synthesized first as zymogens, PC1/3 is synthesized as a larger precursor that undergoes proteolytic processing of its signal peptide and propeptide. The N-terminally located propeptide has been shown to be essential for folding and self-inhibition. Furthermore, PC1/3 also possesses a C-terminal region (CT-peptide) which, for maximal enzymatic activity, must also be cleaved. To date, its role has been documented through transfection studies in terms of sorting and targeting of PC1/3 and chimeric proteins into secretory granules. In this study, we examined the properties of a 135-residue purified bacterially produced CT-peptide on the in vitro enzymatic activity of PC1/3. Depending on the amount of CT-peptide used, it is shown that the CT-peptide increases PC1/3 activity at low concentrations (nm) and decreases it at high concentrations (µm), a feature typical of an activator. Furthermore, we show that, contrary to the propeptide, the CT-peptide is not further cleaved by PC1/3 although it is sensitive to human furin activity. Based on these results, it is proposed that PC1/3, through its various domains, is capable of controlling its enzymatic activity in all regions of the cell that it encounters. This mode of self-control is unique among members of all proteinases families. [source] Mobile phones, communities and social networks among foreign workers in SingaporeGLOBAL NETWORKS, Issue 3 2009ERIC C. THOMPSON Abstract Transnational mobility affects both high-status and low-income workers, disrupting traditional assumptions of the boundedness of communities. There is a need to reconfigure our most basic theoretical and analytical constructs. In this article I engage in this task by illustrating a complex set of distinctions (as well as connections) between ,communities' as ideationally constituted through cultural practices and ,social networks' constituted through interaction and exchange. I have grounded the analysis ethnographically in the experiences of foreign workers in Singapore, focusing on domestic and construction workers from the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand and Bangladesh. I examine the cultural, social and communicative role that mobile phones play in the lives of workers who are otherwise constrained in terms of mobility, living patterns and activities. Mobile phones are constituted as symbol status markers in relationship to foreign workers. Local representations construct foreign workers as users and consumers of mobile telephony, reinscribing ideas of transnational identities as well as foreignness within the context of Singapore. Migrant workers demonstrate a detailed knowledge of the various telephony options available, but the desire to use phones to communicate can overwhelm their self-control and lead to very high expenditures. The research highlights the constraints , as well as possibilities , individuals experience as subjects and agents within both social and cultural systems, and the ways in which those constraints and possibilities are mediated by a particular technology , in this case, mobile phones. [source] The fall of the English gentleman: the national character in decline, c.1918,1970HISTORICAL RESEARCH, Issue 187 2002Marcus Collins The figure of the gentleman and his allied qualities of amateurism, sportsmanship and self-control dominated public discussions of Englishness in the half century after the Great War. From 1918 to the mid nineteen-fifties, gentlemanliness enjoyed strong, although by no means unanimous, support among commentators on national character. Subsequently, however, the reputation of the gentleman suffered irreparable damage at the hands of a post-war generation seeking scapegoats for the country's perceived economic, geopolitical and moral decline. This article seeks to explain when and why gentlemanliness lost its reputation as the exemplar of Englishness, and the consequent effects on national culture and identity. [source] Trustworthiness, friendships and self-control: factors that contribute to young children's school adjustmentINFANT AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT, Issue 5 2007Lucy R. Betts Abstract The aim of present study was to examine the relationship between young children's peer-reported trustworthiness and their school adjustment. Two hundred and eleven (103 male and 108 female) children in the United Kingdom (mean age = 6 years 2 months) took part in this study. Measures of peer-reported trustworthiness, child-rated school adjustment, and teacher-rated school adjustment were administered twice across a one-year period. Also, children's number of friendships, peer acceptance, and self-control were assessed at Time 2. Multisample path analyses were conducted separately by sex. For both samples there were direct longitudinal paths between peer-reported trustworthiness and changes in teacher-rated school adjustment. For boys, the longitudinal path between peer-reported trustworthiness and changes in child-rated loneliness was mediated by peer acceptance, and peer-reported trustworthiness mediated the relationship between self-control and teacher-rated school adjustment. Sex differences in peer-reported trustworthiness also emerged: girls were rated as more trustworthy by their peers than were boys. The findings support the hypothesis that young children's trustworthiness contributes to school adjustment, which is due in part to peer acceptance. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Measuring Counterproductivity: Development and Initial Validation of a German Self-Report QuestionnaireINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SELECTION AND ASSESSMENT, Issue 1-2 2002Bernd Marcus This article describes the development and initial construct validation of a comprehensive self-report measure of workplace counterproductivity. The instrument contains subscales for different targets of counterproductivity (organizational and interpersonal deviance, Robinson and Bennett 1995) as well as for different forms of manifestation (absenteeism, substance use, aggression, and theft, respectively) An empirical study (N = 174), conducted in one manufacturing and one retail organization, confirmed the intended internal structure by means of confirmatory factor analysis. Counterproductivity may best be described as a higher-order behavioural construct loading on subdimensions carrying unique variance. In addition, an examination of outside variables showed that the best predictor of counterproductivity was self-control, followed by integrity, whereas cognitive ability was largely unrelated to the construct. The opposite pattern of correlations occurred for productive performance behaviours, indicating that counterproductivity is a unique construct within the performance domain. Differences and similarities between the present measure and a recent independent development by Bennett and Robinson (2000) are discussed, along with conclusions for future research on the topic. [source] Religiosity, Self-Control, and Virginity Status in College Students from the "Bible Belt": A Research NoteJOURNAL FOR THE SCIENTIFIC STUDY OF RELIGION, Issue 3 2010Alexander T. Vazsonyi Using a sample of college students (N,= 904) from the "Bible Belt," this study examines the effect of religiosity and self-control on late adolescents' delay in initiating sexual intercourse or oral sex. Findings from logistic regressions provide evidence that for each one unit increase in self-control, the odds of a male remaining a virgin or of delaying oral sex increased by a factor of 1.82 and 2.84, respectively, while for females, the odds of not engaging in oral sex increased by a factor of 1.67. In addition to the effect of self-control, a one unit increase in religiosity results in the odds of a male remaining a virgin by a factor of 3.86 and 3.30, respectively. For females the odds are increased by a factor of 4.13 and 2.60, respectively. Mediation tests also provided evidence that self-control mediated the effects by religiosity on both dependent measures. Thus, both religiosity and self-control independently and additively function as key social control mechanisms that promote late adolescent health. [source] Training programme in techniques of self-control and communication skills to improve nurses' relationships with relatives of seriously ill patients: a randomized controlled studyJOURNAL OF ADVANCED NURSING, Issue 2 2000Luisa García De Lucio RN Training programme in techniques of self-control and communication skills to improve nurses' relationships with relatives of seriously ill patients: a randomized controlled study The interpersonal relationships with relatives of seriously ill patients may cause anxiety on the part of nurses and the need for adequate communication and self-control skills. To assess the efficacy of training nurses in self-control techniques and communication skills when they interact with relatives of seriously ill patients we planned a randomized, controlled trial in two parallel groups: an experimental group, with immediate training, and a control group, with training delayed for 6 months. We recruited 61 nurses from the nursing staff of a university hospital of 500 beds. The intervention consisted of training in relaxation, cognitive restructuring and some communication skills. The outcome variables were communication skills measured under simulated conditions using an observation instrument of our own, administered by observers masked with respect to the study groups, and the levels of state-anxiety measured with the self-assessment questionnaire the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, under imaginary conditions. The two groups initially had similar scores in the scales of communication skills, and state and trait-anxiety. After intervention, compared with the control group, the experimental group showed significant improvements in the skills of listening, emphasizing, interrupting and coping with emotions (P < 0·05). State-anxiety levels did not show any changes. In conclusion, the joint training in self-control and communication improves some communication skills in nurses when they interact with relatives of seriously ill patients under simulated conditions. [source] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||