Perfect self-control? The role of perfectionistic cognitions in daily self-control episodes

  • Self-control is an important resource that helps us keep track of goal achievement even in the face of alternative behavioral impulses. This might be especially relevant for the pursuit of daily life goals in a personally relevant achievement context. We investigated the role of daily perfectionistic cognitions in daily self-control episodes. Leaning on the Integrative Self-Control Theory, we investigated components of daily self-control episodes, including goal setting, conflicting desires (temptations), recruitment of self-control (resistance), and selfcontrol failure and success (temptation enactment, procrastination, goal achievement). We used a measurement burst ambulatory assessment design to follow 183 preservice teachers for 9 months, during phases in which they repeatedly prepared for personally relevant achievement situations (demonstration lessons). The results of our three-level analyses (Level 1: day; Level 2: phase; Level 3: person) were consistent with theoretical considerations and previous empirical evidence. They revealed more negative outcomes for unique daily perfectionistic concerns cognitions (PCC) and more positive outcomes for unique daily perfectionistic strivings cognitions (PSC) in associations with conflicting desires and selfcontrol failure and success on the day level and partially on the levels of between-phase and between-person differences. Unexpectedly, both PSC and PCC were associated with more recruitment of self-control. The theoretical implications for the understanding of the role of perfectionistic cognitions in daily self-control episodes are discussed.

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  • This is the Version of Record of the article originally published in Collabra: Psychology. It is made available under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license. Please cite the published version: Prestele, E., Altstötter-Gleich, C., Grommisch, G., & Lischetzke, T. (2024). Perfect Self-Control? The Role of Perfectionistic Cognitions in Daily Self-Control Episodes. Collabra: Psychology, 10(1), 125202. https://doi.org/10.1525/collabra.125202

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Author:Elisabeth PresteleORCiD, Christine Altstötter-Gleich, Gloria Grommisch, Tanja LischetzkeORCiD
URN:urn:nbn:de:hbz:386-kluedo-91746
Parent Title (English):Collabra: Psychology
Publisher:University of California Press
Document Type:Article
Language of publication:English
Date of Publication (online):2025/09/12
Year of first Publication:2025
Publishing Institution:Rheinland-Pfälzische Technische Universität Kaiserslautern-Landau
Date of the Publication (Server):2025/09/12
Issue:10 / 1
Page Number:49
Source:10.1525/collabra.125202
Faculties / Organisational entities:Landau - Fachbereich Psychologie
DDC-Cassification:1 Philosophie und Psychologie / 150 Psychologie
Collections:Open-Access-Publikationsfonds
Licence (German):Lizenz nach Originalpublikation