| Given the importance of self-control for consumer' well-being and success in life, my dissertation aims to provide novel theoretical insights to the self-regulation literature and inform practical interventions that work to consumer' long-term benefit. Contrary to most extant research on the topic, my dissertation explores both individual and social dynamics of consumer' self-regulation. My dissertation progresses from an internal, individual perspective on self-control to a socially-embedded, cooperative perspective.;First, Essay 1 focuses on the internal state of the consumer, considering cognitive strategies used in self-control contexts. Specifically, I explore two dimensions of consumer' recall of previous self-regulation acts - valence and subjective difficulty of recall-- and how their interplay influences current self-control. Progressing toward understanding the social dynamics of self-control, in Essay 2 I examine two specific strategies that consumers use to cope with social identity threats -- where individuals either highlight positive dimensions of the self or emphasize favorable intergroup differences, and compare their impact on subsequent self-control. Finally, Essay 3 studies self-control through a purely social lens and compares the joint self-control decisions of three different dyad types - homogeneous high self-control, homogeneous low self-control, and mixed, to determine which lead to better self-control within the dyad and which prove detrimental to the achievement of shared long-term goals.;Taken together, the three essays of my dissertation make novel theoretical contributions not only to the self-control literature, but also to the literatures studying metacognition, self-perceptions, social identity, dyadic decision making, and marital well-being. Furthermore, the findings of my dissertation offer a series of practical implications and insights that can guide consumers, public policy makers, and managers to achieve a variety of objectives. |
