Supporting the self-regulatory resource: does conscious self-regulation incidentally prime nonconscious support processes?
Ego-depletion (depletion of self-regulatory strength) can impair conscious efforts at self-regulation. Research into nonconscious self-regulation has demonstrated that preconscious automaticity and implementation intentions can automatically carry out regulatory tasks during times of ego-depletion. However, preconscious automaticity can only emerge during well-practiced tasks while implementation intentions can only support tasks that have been explicitly planned. Thus, when it comes to supporting the conscious self-regulation of nonroutine and unplanned behaviour during times of ego-depletion these processes should be ineffective. However, it is argued here that because the conscious self-regulation of nonroutine and unplanned behaviour can incidentally prime the underlying mental representations those primed representations can be postconsciously re-activated to support that behaviour during times of ego-depletion. Postconscious self-regulation might, therefore, support a type of self-regulatory behaviour that has, thus far, not been associated with any form of support.
Department of Applied Psychology, Cork Enterprise Centre, University College Cork, Cork, Republic of Ireland. d.dorris@ucc.ie
Derek C
DC
Dorris
D003243:Consciousness; D004532:Ego; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D012649:Self Concept; D012927:Social Control, Informal