title: Fifty states of self-control: A U.S. statewide examination of the initiation and inhibition dimensions of self-regulation.
abstract: Individual differences in self-control have been shown to reflect two underlying dimensions: initiation and inhibition. We examined the possibility that degrees of self-control might likewise be modeled at a broader social level, similar to other socio-cultural differences that operate at an individual level (e.g., collectivism). To test this notion, we used a variety of mundane behaviors measured at the level of U.S. states to create inhibitory and initiatory indices of self-control at a collective level. We show that statewide levels of initiatory and inhibitory self-control, despite being correlated with one another, exhibit unique patterns of association with a wide range of outcomes, including homicide, suicide, home foreclosures, divorce, and infidelity. This study represents one of the first attempts to model the dimensional structure of self-control at a social level and supports the utility of conceptualizing self-control as an important socio-cultural variable.
authors.affiliation: a Austin College.
authors.forename: Matthew
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Findley
authors.affiliation: b University of Oklahoma.
authors.forename: Ryan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Brown
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004243:Divorce / Q000208:ethnology*; D005114:Extramarital Relations / Q000208:ethnology*; D005260:Female; D006708:Homicide / Q000208:ethnology*; D006801:Humans; D007266:Inhibition, Psychological; D008297:Male; D010551:Personality; D011203:Poverty / Q000208:ethnology*; D000068356:Self-Control; D012919:Social Behavior; D013405:Suicide / Q000208:ethnology*; D014481:United States / Q000208:ethnology
keywords: Culture; geography; inhibition; initiation; self-control