Self-control is a condition for an adequate, purposeful, integrated psyche. Self-education and self-improvement of the individual, training and professional activities, behavior in society presuppose the indispensable inclusion of self-control in them. Self-control is one of the mandatory signs of human consciousness and self-consciousness. It acts as a condition for an adequate mental reflection by a person of his inner world and the objective reality surrounding him. Self-control is one of the integral components of the processes of self-government (self-regulation) of systems of various qualitative nature, among which a person is an example of a living and highly complex system.

A person can act as an object and subject of control. As a social being, a person throughout his life is an object of control by the people around him. Under the control of society are the processes of training and education of a person, his employment in professional activities, behavior in everyday life. On the other hand, already as a subject of control, a person himself is a carrier of control mechanisms. At the same time, the direction of control can be different: outward and on oneself. In the first case, the object of control for a person is the behavior and activities of other people, the nature of the processes in social, natural, technical systems. But the object of control for a person is also his own actions and actions, his inherent mental phenomena. It is in the latter case, when a person controls his mental sphere, that we are dealing with self-control.

On the one hand, self-control cannot be carried out without the presence of what, in fact, is controlled, checked. On the other hand, as part of self-control, the presence of a standard is mandatory, i.e. the one that must to be. The question of the degree of coincidence of the controlled and reference components is solved by means of a comparison operation. If, as a result of its implementation, the controlled and reference components do not coincide, then at the “output” of self-control, a mismatch signal will occur, reflecting the degree of their discrepancy. If the fact of mismatch is not detected, then this means that the controlled component corresponds to the standard.

The most general definition of self-control can be given from the standpoint of a functional approach to it, according to which whatever is the object of self-control, in whatever sphere of mental phenomena it is involved, its function is of a verification nature and consists in establishing the degree of coincidence of what must be, with what else can be or actually already takes place. The content of the components that make up self-control will naturally change depending on the context in which it manifests itself. So, for example, in the process of recognition, the formed perceptual image of the stimulus will act as a controlled variable, and the role of the standard will be performed by the image of the previously perceived stimulus extracted from memory, the measure of similarity with which will help to establish self-control. On the other hand, if we turn to the sphere of behavior, then as part of self-control, the role of a controlled variable can be played by the intention to perform a certain act, and the standard component appears as a norm (model) of socially accepted behavior in the appropriate situation learned in the process of education. Despite the obvious diversity of the given examples, in both cases the function of self-control remains unchanged, namely, it will consist in establishing the degree of coincidence of the compared components. Therefore, we emphasize once again that in the general definition of self-control, the emphasis should be placed on its functional essence, and it should not reflect the specifics of its constituent components, which, however, will be quite appropriate when the definition is disclosed in relation to a specific object of self-control.

Self-control is inherently included in all types of human activity: gaming, educational, labor, scientific, sports, etc. Among the general, i.e., independent of the specifics of the activity performed, the principles of classifying the types of self-control include also the principle of arbitrariness of self-control.

In accordance with the temporary principle, one should distinguish between preliminary (anticipatory), current (intermediate) and resulting (final) types of self-control. The object of preliminary self-control, included in the process of anticipation, is everything that has not yet entered the phase of direct implementation, implementation. For example, the goal and program of a still forthcoming activity may be subjected to a preliminary check in terms of the correctness of their choice. It is difficult to overestimate the role of preliminary self-control to prevent possible erroneous decisions, actions, wrong actions. Current self-control replaces the preliminary one and, being included in the process of performing activities, is aimed at verifying the correctness of intermediate results. Finally, the resulting self-control, as it were, sums up what has been done and helps answer the main question: has the originally set goal been achieved?

In accordance with the spatial principle, the controlled component, as well as the standard itself, can enter the comparison operation through channels of different modality. In this regard, there are visual, auditory, tactile and other types of self-control. In the process of human life, self-control, carried out through external communication channels, dominates. Such self-control prevails in a variety of activities in behavioral practice. For example, whether a person is walking or using transport, he checks the correctness of his location in relation to his previously planned route and final destination using control information coming to him from outside. A characteristic example of the receipt of a controlled variable through internal channels of communication is introceptive sensations, on the basis of which mental self-regulation of the state is carried out.

According to the structural principle, the diversity of self-control mechanisms inherent in a person is hierarchically organized. Mechanisms of self-control take place already at the cellular level of human life. Self-regulation of physiological functions is carried out according to the homeostatic principle, which consists in maintaining within the required limits the biological constants that have developed in the process of evolution, or, in other words, the standards of the body. As an example of such constants, one can name the concentration of sugar in the blood, the content of carbon dioxide and oxygen in it, body temperature, blood pressure, etc. Self-regulation according to the homeostatic principle lies in the fact that one or another controlled component is continuously compared with the corresponding biological standard through self-control , and if a mismatch signal appears as a result of the comparison, then this turns out to be an impetus to restore the disturbed equilibrium. Self-control permeates all mental phenomena inherent in a person (processes, states, properties). In this sense, we can talk about self-control over the course of a separate mental process: sensations, perceptions, recognition, thinking, etc.; about a person's self-control over their own mental state, for example, self-control of the emotional sphere; about self-control as a property of a person, which became a feature of his character as a result of education and self-education. In activity, as in a focus, all mental phenomena intersect and self-control reveals its presence in them most fully.

And finally, in accordance with the principle of arbitrariness, one should distinguish between arbitrary and involuntary types of self-control. Arbitrary self-control implies the conscious nature of setting and achieving appropriate goals when performing a certain type of activity. The very process of performing an activity, realized through a sequence of actions and individual movements, can be carried out with the participation of self-control, the constant awareness of which is no longer a prerequisite. Involuntary self-control occurs, for example, at the biological level, at which self-control mechanisms are included in various self-regulation circuits that ensure the vital activity of the organism, and their functioning is carried out outside the sphere of human consciousness.

Processes. All mental phenomena are processual in their essence. There is no mental outside the process. Psychology, as Academician I. M. Sechenov said, must derive all aspects of mental activity from the concept of a process.

Self-control is an integral part of mental processes, which is one of the important conditions for a person to adequately reflect his inner world and the objective reality surrounding him. Let us illustrate what has been said with a number of examples.

Sensations are the initial stage of sensory knowledge. They are images of the external world that reflect reality. The presence of control mechanisms in the processes of sensation, with the help of which the correspondence between sensory data and the external world is ensured, has been experimentally confirmed.

In a number of cognitive processes, perception is a qualitatively new stage of sensory cognition, which, unlike sensations, makes it possible to reflect in the human mind not individual properties of the stimulus, but the object as a whole, in the aggregate of its properties. With regard to various sensory modalities, self-control is included in the process of forming an adequate perceptual image. It has been established that controlling eye movements are involved in the process of visual perception, with the help of which it is possible to check the correctness of the formed visual image in relation to the perceived object. This is manifested in repeated returns of the eye to the already examined areas of the object. With tactile perception, the formation of an adequate image of the palpable object also occurs with actively expressed self-control, which in this case is carried out due to the interaction of the fingers sequentially moving one after another, and their return movements to the already passed contour elements.

Recognition as a cognitive process involves comparing the image of a directly perceived stimulus with a reference one retrieved from memory, with the aim of subsequently making a decision about whether the perceived stimulus belongs to a certain class of objects. By itself, the comparison operation in the context of identification does not immediately begin to perform the function of self-control. In any case, if we keep in mind the development of the identification process in time, then the very first “meeting” of the perceptual and reference images during the comparison operation does not yet bear the control load. However, the subject of identification can already consider the first result of the comparison, having doubted its correctness, to be considered insufficient for making a decision on attributing the perceived stimulus to some particular class of objects. Then, in order to make the right decision, the comparison operation is repeated and, if necessary, several times, but already as a self-control function.

The highest form of rational cognition of the objective world is thinking, through which the very essence of the things around him, the regularity of connections and relations between objects and phenomena of reality is reflected in the human mind. An approach to the study of mental activity as a self-regulating process is gaining increasing recognition. The operation of comparing the expected and actually achieved results with the put forward hypotheses is the key in the mechanism of self-regulation of mental activity. Comparison as an act of self-control is presented at all stages of solving a mental problem, including the formulation of a problem, the formation of a hypothesis and its subsequent concretization in the course of solving a problem. In this case, the hypothesis is, as it were, an intermediate standard, the correctness of which is either confirmed or questioned after comparing the actually obtained result with it. The discrepancy between the predicted and actual results becomes a condition for developing a further solution strategy. In principle, it can be reduced either to rechecking the already obtained result, or to the formation of a new hypothesis and its subsequent verification. Of course, excessive self-control, excessive guardianship on his part of the movement of creative thought is undesirable, since their inclusion in the process of generating ideas slows it down. Another thing is that in the creative process there must necessarily come a moment of critical reflection on already sufficiently formed hypotheses or ideas in order to assess the degree of their viability and substantiate the expediency of the subsequent expenditure of spiritual and material forces for their practical implementation.

An indispensable condition for the purposeful activity of a person is his memory. The organized work of memory is possible only with the participation of self-control, which ensures the correct flow of such anemic processes as memorization and recall. Thus, the process of active recall of previously imprinted material inevitably includes a comparison of the search results (acting as controlled variables) with the source material, allowing the subject to either stop further search or reject the emerging traces as inadequate and continue the search again in order to still find the correct solution.

At the heart of the process of communication, the management of a person's behavior in society is speech activity. In accordance with the concept of functional systems of Academician P. K. Anokhin, the speech embodiment of each word, each phrase is preceded by the formation of a “control apparatus” (acceptor of action) in the brain, which monitors the correctness of their pronunciation. Various types of self-control mechanisms are involved in the complex organization of speech activity: auditory, visual, kinesthetic, etc.

Usually attention is understood as the direction and focus of consciousness on a particular object. Modern studies of the neurophysiological mechanisms of attention, carried out under the guidance of A. R. Luria, indicate their close relationship with self-control. In other words, there is reason to say that the most complex form of voluntary attention is at the same time the highest form of a person's self-control, manifested in his ability to independently control his own behavior and activities.

The specificity of the will lies in the conscious overcoming of difficulties (obstacles) by a person on the way to the goal. Mental self-regulation acquires a volitional character when its habitual, normal course is difficult for one reason or another, and therefore the achievement of the final goal requires the subject to apply additional forces, increase his own activity to overcome the obstacle that has arisen. Thus, the will as a mental phenomenon finds its concrete expression through the exercise of volitional effort. Self-control, included in the flow of volitional effort, helps him not to deviate from the intended path, thereby preventing wasted, unjustified energy expenditures that are not related to the achievement of the final goal. The saturation of volitional effort with acts of self-control can generally be determined by various objective and subjective factors. The optimal ratio between them should be recognized as one in which the distribution of energy costs for their implementation is still decided in favor of volitional effort. Excessive self-control will unnecessarily deplete their common energy base, thereby reducing the effectiveness of volitional effort. And vice versa, the more rationally the acts of self-control are distributed, the more energy possibilities can be released for the manifestation of volitional effort, the more intense and deployed in time it can become.

Self-control plays a fundamental role in human psychomotor. Correct coordination of movement is carried out under the control of the corresponding muscular, tactile and visual impressions. We check the correctness of each movement before moving on to the next one. Self-regulation of the required action proceeds with a constant comparison of the current results with the sample (standard) of its performance stored in the memory. Self-control is organically built into the general melody of the performance of a motor skill, as if merging into one continuous whole with its content. At the same time, the process of implementing a motor skill and the self-control included in it proceeds unconsciously. In this case, an attempt at additional, deliberate self-control in order to make sure that everything in the implementation of the skill is done as it should, that is, whether everything goes on as usual and whether it is performed correctly, may turn out to be unnecessary and simply harmful, since behind it, as as a rule, a failure in the operation of an already well-established mechanism follows. Another thing is that the implementation of individual skills is subordinated to the general goal of psychomotor activity, and therefore the correctness of the results achieved with their help must be checked all the time through conscious self-control.

states. In contrast to mental processes, states are characterized by greater integrity and stability. We will consider the specifics of the “relationships” between self-control and mental states using the example of their most representative group, which usually includes emotional states.

In psychology, the features of the manifestation of the emotional sphere have long been known and described, depending on how much it is under the control of the subject. Violation or weakening of the ability to self-control entails the appearance of emotional problems in a person. Intensive development of emotional response (joy, fear, anger, etc.) is accompanied by an increase in self-control deficit up to its complete loss. Already on our own experience, we are convinced that people differ among themselves in the way and strength of expressing their emotions, the ability to control them. Typically, a person who has weakened emotional self-control is characterized as excitable, short-tempered, impulsive, unbalanced, expansive, etc. A person with an easily excitable emotional sphere is especially prone to committing impulsive acts, making rash decisions and insufficiently informed judgments. Impulsive natures should be considered as opposed to people who are balanced and in control of themselves. Thus, in the behavior of some people, emotional response can be expressed excessively, while in others, on the contrary, a distinctive feature of their relationship with the outside world is the impassibility of perception and response to what is happening outside. Of course, these are extreme examples, between which a variety of shades of interaction of self-control with emotions are distributed.

Self-control is that very important character trait that helps a person to manage himself, his own behavior, and maintain the ability to perform activities in the most adverse conditions. A person with developed self-control knows how, under any, even emergency circumstances, to subordinate his emotions to the voice of reason, not to allow them to disturb the organized structure of his mental life. The main content of this property is the work of two psychological mechanisms: self-control and correction (influence).

With the help of self-control, the subject monitors his emotional state, identifying possible deviations (compared to the background, normal state) in the nature of its course. To this end, he asks himself control questions, for example: do I look excited now; Am I gesticulating too much? whether I speak too quietly or, conversely, loudly; too quickly, inconsistently, etc. If self-control fixes the fact of a mismatch, then this is an impetus to launch a correction mechanism aimed at suppressing, containing the emotional “explosion”, at returning the emotional response to the normative channel. Influences on one's own emotions can also be of a proactive (in a sense, preventive) nature, that is, even before the appearance of obvious signs of emotional imbalance, but foreseeing the very real possibility of such an event (situations of danger, risk, increased responsibility, etc.), a person with the help of special methods of self-influence (self-persuasion, self-orders, etc.) seeks to prevent its onset. In this sense, we can talk about a special type of people who show foresight, prudence, often controlling themselves.

Properties. Speaking about the character of a person, we usually focus on some of his most typical, stable properties. Knowing character traits, it is possible to predict the most probable forms of human behavior in various life situations. One of these traits is self-control. By the way a person behaves in communication with other people, what actions he performs, how he relates to his duties in everyday life and at work, we judge the degree of formation of his self-control. As a property of a person, self-control is organically connected with a number of character traits, revealing in them its weakness or obvious severity. For example, behind such traits as carelessness, thoughtlessness, negligence, recklessness, alarmism, looseness, negligence, etc., it is easy to see a lack of self-control. On the contrary, if we characterize a person as reasonable, accurate, self-possessed, reliable, decent, purposeful, then behind each of the listed features, the ability to control one's actions and deeds is clearly visible. You can even single out a set (symptom complex) of character traits that are very similar in content. The basis that unites them is self-control. First of all, they should include duty, responsibility and discipline.

The stability and organization of a society depend on the level of formation of legal consciousness among its citizens, on their ability and desire to control their behavior in accordance with legal norms. Inferiority or lack of legal self-control is typical, as a rule, for cases of antisocial behavior. Often, defects in legal self-control are associated with the presence of an installation in the subject that excludes the operation of internal moral or legal norms; with habitual stereotypes of misbehavior; conscious disregard or ignorance of the law. Self-control can be turned off under the influence of emotional experiences and strong emotional unrest, fatigue, illness, which leads to serious deviations in the self-regulation of social behavior.

Social forms of self-regulation become in principle possible due to the formation, through education and self-education, of the necessary system of feelings, through the experience of which a person controls his behavior, based on a certain morality as a set of principles and norms of social behavior. A huge role in the social life of a person is played by self-control, which is updated in the processes of moral (moral) behavior. This type of self-control is especially often mentioned in the wide, including special, psychological literature and is better known as the concept of conscience. The control essence of this ethical category is emphasized by many authors. Conscience scrutinizes everything that a person does or only intends to do. In the modern interpretation, conscience acts as a kind of "internal controller" of a person's observance of social ideals, principles and moral norms, prompting him to be critical of his behavior. The signal of discrepancy between the actual or still only supposed act and the standard (the so-called corresponding norm of morality), received from the output of the mechanism of moral self-control, is experienced by a person as a feeling of shame, "remorse". However, remorse of conscience in itself does not necessarily force a person to act according to the rules of morality. A person can live for years with a bad conscience, but never decide to take off the burden of experienced guilt. Sometimes he makes a deal with his conscience, tries to drown out the feeling of shame by self-justification (rationalization) of his unseemly actions. Finally, the severity of some personality traits (such as, for example, servility, hypocrisy, opportunism, cowardice, etc.) excludes or, at least, makes a person’s behavior at the behest of conscience unlikely.

Lack of expression or lack of mechanisms of moral self-control adequate to the social environment in one way or another violates the harmony of the individual, contributes to his mental discord. The deformation of moral self-control removes barriers on the way to socially dangerous, illegal behavior. People without rules and order, Kant noted, are unreliable. The underdevelopment of moral self-control is usually the cause of human misfortunes.

By the time of the birth of a child, all functional systems are “architecturally” mature: breathing, swallowing, sucking, etc., necessary to ensure his life. So, we can say that a child is born with a certain set of self-control mechanisms that function at the biological level. In the future, the mechanisms of self-control over the course of physiological processes develop in accordance with the genetic program, and at the same time, each type of biological self-regulation with self-control included in it appears at a certain stage in the development of the organism. The genetic program itself is developed in the course of a long evolution. At the same time, a child born into the world does not have any genetically determined types of self-control in social terms. The mechanisms of self-control of higher levels of vital activity are formed in a child only in the process of his subsequent upbringing.

The first weeks and months of a child's life are a time of intensive mastery of their senses. Having learned to touch, the child receives the first ideas about the relationship of space and time. Touch, taste and smell develop with some advance in relation to the higher sense organs - sight and hearing. With the development of sensory systems, the experience of sensory reflection by the child of the reality around him begins to gradually accumulate and refine. The emerging images of the outside world (sensory standards) are still preparing the ground for the child to solve one of the main tasks of the first year of life - mastering the motor sphere. The movements of the newborn are chaotic and impulsive. However, the experience of the child's motor abilities is consistently increased, and the ability to control one's own movements is formed directly in connection with this process. First of all, the child learns to control the movements of the muscles of the eyes, lips and tongue. During the second and third months of life, he acquires control over the movement of the head, and even later - over the coordination of the muscles of the body.

The functional unification of the visual and motor systems is a decisive stage in ontogenetic development. In the second and third months of life, the child fixes his gaze more and more steadily on the movement of his hands, and in the next three months he already learns, under visual control, to use them to deliberately reach objects. Manipulating with the objects of the external world, the child not only expands, but also learns to check the emerging ideas about the surrounding reality. It is from the second half of the first year that the child begins to more and more clearly manifest the ability to voluntary movements, suggesting their purposeful and controlled nature. By the end of the first year (8-10 months), the child already masters the skills of self-control over the movements of the body: he is able to sit without assistance, can independently roll over and crawl. Thus, a certain regularity is seen in the formation of the motor apparatus and the mechanisms of self-control included in its work. It is expressed in the development, first of all, of large muscle groups, and then of the muscles serving smaller movements. The development of movements goes in the direction from the body, in accordance with which, first of all, self-control is formed for the muscles of the shoulder and thigh, and only later for the rest. Such coordination of the fingers when grasping objects appears only after the child learns to use the movement of the hand, to change its location. At the same time, in the “topographical” sense, the functional development of muscles and self-control over their work goes, as it were, from top to bottom: first, the baby learns to control eye movement, raise, hold and turn his head, then he acquires the ability to control body position when sitting and hand movements when manipulating objects. finally, he becomes able to crawl and make the first attempts to stand up.

Learning to walk is a significant milestone in early childhood (from one to three years of age). In general, in the organization of the motor sphere, the features of orderliness and expediency are more and more clearly visible. The child develops a variety of motor skills, in the implementation of which the principle of minimizing motor activity is realized more and more noticeably, the child learns to overcome the redundancy of motor programs, choosing in each case the most correct and coordinated movements. Self-control is becoming increasingly important for the implementation of complex, highly differentiated and precise motor acts. Object manipulations are the leading activity for the period of early childhood. With their help, the child acquires and tests his knowledge about the properties of the objective world around him. The formed images of external objects are fixed in the child's memory and are further updated in cognitive processes, being part of the self-control mechanisms as its reference components.

Another major event in early childhood is the child's speech development. The mastery of speech opens before the child the prospect of an ever more intensive transition from controlling his movements by direct signaling to controlling them on a conscious and voluntary basis. The verbal form of communication is a decisive moment for the further formation of self-control in ontogeny. Language as a means of communication opens the way for the child to master all the richness of the types and methods of self-control, which is fixed in human experience.

In the fact that during early childhood a child gradually learns to walk, make the right movements and, finally, enter into verbal communication, the decisive role, of course, belongs to an adult. It is under its regulatory influence and control that the process of transferring social experience to the child is carried out and, at the same time, the first prerequisites are laid for the consistent mastery of the variety of skills of psychological self-control. An adult teaches a child how to correctly perform certain actions, pronounce individual words and express their thoughts aloud. He teaches the child to perform actions that would be adequate to the social environment. In the process of education, parental control should gradually give way to self-control, based on the child's ability to control himself and anticipate the results of his own actions. Strict control by an adult during the period of formation of behavioral skills and activities in a child is the best preparation for self-control for the latter. If the child does not develop the habit of self-control, if, in other words, he does not have the opportunity to exercise self-control under the guidance of an adult, then his mental development is retarded. Self-control is gradually formed and improved in the process of playing, general and labor training of the child. The environment closest to the child, i.e., his parents and comrades, every minute provide him with goals, models and motives for his actions. The teacher provides a demonstration of standards, with the help of which the student begins to master the initial forms of self-control. In the process of training and education, these standards are internalized, assigned to the trainee and become an integral component of the mental self-regulation of the activities performed by him, thereby allowing the trainee to switch to independent control of his actions, his behavior. The teacher not only shows, but also reveals the content of the standards assimilated by the student, explains to him the importance of self-control in various activities, teaches him how to use it correctly, and at first encourages him to implement it. Thus, under the control of the teacher, a very important process of educating the student's ability and need to control himself takes place.

By the age of three, the child's self-consciousness is already developed to such an extent that he is able to distinguish himself from the world around him and is able to control his actions to some extent. At this age, the child is receptive to the assimilation of elementary norms of social behavior and begins to learn to observe them. So, participation in relationships with people around, a certain independence, verbal communication, simple behavioral reactions - all this is already inherent in a three-year-old child and involves the inclusion of self-control.

The leading activity of the preschooler is the game. It is difficult to overestimate its importance for the overall mental development of the child. By playing, the child begins to learn. The game is fraught with favorable and necessary prerequisites for teaching children the skills to control their own actions and deeds. During the game, preschoolers learn the initial ethical standards, that is, the requirements that they are guided by. It is possible to change the often inadequate position of a child at this age by accustoming him to reasoning, that is, by educating in him the need and ability to include self-control in mental activity. Adults should seek from the child that he be aware of his actions, think about what he is doing or is just about to do. In general, the child leaves the period of preschool childhood to a certain extent independent, owning active speech, elements of logical thinking and primary forms of voluntary behavior, obedience to rules are available to him.

With admission to school, the leading activity for the child becomes educational. It captures childhood, adolescence and youth. The school period is of fundamental importance for the social maturation of a person, his formation as a person. The most characteristic moments in the formation of self-control are also associated with this stage of ontogenesis.

The development of self-control in the educational activity of younger students is subject to certain patterns. At the beginning of schooling, the mastery of self-control appears for children as an independent form of activity, external to the main task. And only gradually, thanks to repeated and constant exercises in its implementation, self-control turns into a necessary element of educational activity, included in the process of its implementation. By the third grade, children's self-control begins to manifest itself more and more noticeably as an "integral part" of educational activity. In the third year of study, schoolchildren begin to show more and more noticeably a tendency not only to subject the results of educational activity to self-control, but also to check their actions in the very process of its implementation. Showing a sample (standard), according to which the student could exercise self-control, is a prerequisite for the formation of self-control at the initial stage. The younger the student, the more he needs to be shown an appropriate sample and encouraged to exercise self-control.

Setting on self-control, the presence of a model with which the performed educational activity is correlated, as well as the ability to carry out the process of correlation - all this remains important as a prerequisite for the formation of self-control in students of secondary school age. But at the same time, adolescents also have a number of new signs in the field of self-control. First, there is a growing understanding on the part of students of the importance of self-control as a factor contributing to the improvement of the quality of their educational activities. Secondly, there is a unification of work actions and self-control, which begins to enter more and more naturally into educational activities as its integral component. By the end of middle school age, self-control turns into a generalized and abbreviated mental action, and the mental operations necessary for its implementation begin to appear in a collapsed form. However, self-control again becomes more conscious and expanded if in the process of learning activity the student encounters certain difficulties and begins to experience in connection with this a feeling of uncertainty about the correctness of the task being performed. Another characteristic feature of adolescence is that, along with self-control over the intermediate and final results of activities, students turn to preliminary, anticipatory self-control, with the help of which they try to understand the purpose of the upcoming activity, outline an action plan, and adjust the planned results. The formation of one's own personality through self-education with the help of active self-control is another new and fundamentally important milestone of the middle school age.

In children of senior school age, the role of voluntary self-control in educational activities is noticeably enhanced. Self-control skills help students to substantiate their judgments, to subordinate mental activity to a strictly defined task, to be aware of the very course of thought processes, their analysis and evaluation. High school students already have a good command of not only current and resulting, but also preliminary self-control. It becomes typical for them to realize and evaluate the moral and psychological properties of their personality in terms of specific life goals and aspirations. Compared to teenagers, they are more confident in using self-control to adequately assess their strengths and weaknesses, advantages and disadvantages.

Upon completion of general and labor training, a person begins an independent life, entering the time of social maturity. Although the general development of his self-consciousness continues throughout his life, nevertheless, by this moment a person should already have a well-formed and fairly stable self-control that provides an adequate mental reflection of the inner world and objective reality, socially approved behavior in various spheres of public life. Such self-control, based on the knowledge of moral, aesthetic and legal norms developed by mankind throughout its history, does not arise suddenly, but is the result of the previous education and self-education of the individual. In each type of human activity at various stages of ontogenesis, self-control appears as a subject of special education.

Self-control is the ability of a person to suppress unwanted forms of behavior, emotions that are inappropriate in a particular situation.

A well-developed ability to self-control allows you to endure high mental and physical stress.

People with high level of self-control always restrained, calm, confident. Next to them, other people get the feeling that everything will be fine, you can get rid of problems, all issues will be resolved. They instill confidence in people.

Next to such a person, the desire to scandal, to behave inappropriately, disappears. Their confident calmness has a positive effect on other people. They calm down, conflicts stop. People tend to obey them, as they give the impression of spiritually strong people.

Who has a high level of self-control?

Scouts and successful leaders have a high level of self-control. These professions are associated with the need to be in control of oneself, one's emotions.

Some cultures put a lot of emphasis on self-control. The Japanese education system is aimed at developing a high level of self-control. Therefore, a Japanese with an equally imperturbable face will accept the news of the death of a loved one and joyful news.

Self-control can play both a positive and a negative role in a person's life. People with a high level of self-control get rid of bad habits more easily.

There are jobs where you need to have a good level of self-control.

For example, if the work is connected with constant communication with people, with the need to solve their problems. Conflict situations often arise in such work. A person with a low level of self-control would not have coped with such a job. He would not be able to suppress the feeling of anger that often arises in conflict situations, he would begin to behave inappropriately. A person with a high level of self-control would not allow himself the manifestation of inadequate emotions and would solve all problems without conflicts.

What is the danger of a high level of self-control?

A high level of self-control leads to the fact that a person constantly in a state of mental stress. He cannot openly show his emotions.

Unreacted emotions accumulate and lead to the emergence of various diseases. Most often, these are cardiovascular diseases and stomach ulcers.

To prevent this from happening and people with a high level of self-control do not get sick, it is necessary to take preventive measures. Such people constantly need to get rid of mental stress. The simplest ways are to scream in deserted places, to destroy something. Martial arts are good at relieving stress.

It is good to master the techniques of auto-training. It also normalizes the human condition well. Be sure to choose a way that is convenient for you to relieve mental stress. Then a well-developed ability to self-control will only lead to positive results.

self control- awareness and evaluation by the subject of his own actions, mental processes and states. S.'s emergence and development is defined by requirements of a society to behavior of the person. The formation of arbitrary self-regulation implies the ability of a person to realize and control the situation, the process. S. assumes the existence of a standard and the possibility of obtaining information about controlled actions and states. Volitional regulation of a person is based on S., but at the same time, S. can be an object of volitional regulation, for example, in stressful situations.

V.A. Ivannikov, Yu.M. Orlov

Definitions, meanings of the word in other dictionaries:

Clinical psychology. Dictionary, ed. N.D. Curd

Self-control - processes by which a person is able to control his behavior in the face of the contradictory influence of the social environment or his own motives. The concept of S. is usually applied to situations in which a person is trying to change ...

Psychotherapeutic Encyclopedia

These are the processes by which a person is able to control his behavior under the contradictory influence of the social environment or his own biological mechanisms, in particular, with a tendency to obsessive drives, exposure to impulsive ...

Psychological Encyclopedia

These are the processes by which a person is able to control his behavior under the contradictory influence of the social environment or his own biological mechanisms, in particular, with a tendency to obsessive drives, susceptibility to impulsive impulses ...

Psychological Encyclopedia

Quite literally - self-control. This term is usually meant for the ability to control impulsivity by inhibiting immediate momentary desires; its dominant connotation is suppression or inhibition.

Psychological Encyclopedia

Awareness and evaluation by the subject of his own actions, mental processes and states. Its appearance and development is determined by the requirements of society for human behavior. The formation of arbitrary self-regulation implies the ability of a person to realize and control ...

Psychological Encyclopedia

This article about Self-control is a revealing continuation of the article. Self-control is the first step towards achieving self-control and a natural stage of development for everyone who strives to become a worthy and civilized person. For it is difficult to call a truly worthy one who does not even outwardly control himself and, as they say, is not able to control himself. This, by the way, is also one of the important differences between man and animal.

What is Self Control? A little more

Self-control should be understood in the following way.

On the one hand, Self-control, as the first step towards self-management, that is, as control, first of all, over all of its external manifestations. About the stages of self-management -.

On the other hand, there is a deeper and more professional understanding of Self-Control. As a gradual conscious mastery of all the components of oneself, for maximum self-control. Moreover, many components of achieving power over oneself are purely energetic, that is, this is the achievement of control over the work of one’s own, energy flows, etc. But this art is taught at the appropriate esoteric courses, for example, in Kharkov, and not everyone can get into these courses.

First of all, each person needs to learn how to control himself at least externally, and then master all the other components.

I also want to debunk one stupid misconception! Self-control is not self-restraint and not driving yourself into some kind of limiting framework, no! Self-control is power over yourself, it is the achievement of freedom and power over your problems. This is an opportunity to realize your freedom the way you want, and not be a slave to your weaknesses, negative emotions, problems, lack of control. It is the ability not to twitch and not to be nervous. when everyone around is twitching and nervous. This is the power to not let anyone take you out of yourself and make you dance to someone else's tune. This is an opportunity to always behave with dignity and never lose a human face.

What do you need to learn to control yourself? Yes, actually everything, step by step: words and speech (think before speaking), appearance (neatness, taste, beauty), behavior, mannerisms, gestures, facial expressions and facial expressions. Next - your inner state, your Spirit, strength, faith and confidence (so as never to lose strength and support). Other components.

One of the first stages of self-control is getting rid of harmful destructive habits: smoking, drinking alcoholic beverages, the habit of using foul language, etc.

How to learn to fully control yourself?

For the formation of Self-control it is necessary:

1. Teaching ethics and tact.

2. Learning not to get into stress and control your emotions.

3. Master the techniques of stress relief and relaxation.

There are different opinions about self-control. But in the scientific literature, for the most part, unity reigns.

"Self-control is the ability to control one's emotions, thoughts and behavior. Self-control is based on will - the highest mental function that determines a person's ability to make conscious decisions and put them into practice." (Wikipedia)

"Self-control is the process by which a person is able to control his behavior in the face of the contradictory influence of the social environment or his own biological mechanisms." (B.D. Karvasarsky. Psychotherapeutic encyclopedia.)

"Can there be too much self-control? Often there is an opinion that excessive self-control suppresses spontaneity, deprives a person of inner freedom and joy of life. Apparently, this is the result of a misunderstanding. Control cannot be too much, it is only important that the control is correct. If a person during self-control only strains and scolds himself, he has wrong self-control.And if a person carefully controls so as not to strain during work, work positively, take time to rest and take on a difficult task wisely, ensuring a successful start and celebrating all significant successes , such control is always useful and will not be superfluous. (Psychologist)

From what has been said, it follows that self-control is a very useful and necessary thing. There are many recipes for developing your self-control. In general, only good things are said from the scientific side. For example, still like this: "Self-control is one of the characteristics of the freedom and responsibility of the individual. No self-control - no freedom, no responsibility, no personality." (Psychologist)

There are completely different points of view, common in everyday life and some religions. According to them, thinking too much is harmful. Rationalism is generally not held in high esteem, since it led to the technological development of civilization instead of the correct spiritual one. You just need to open your soul, heart, chakras for everything positive and close it for the negative. Although the technology of discovery is debatable, it is nevertheless attractive, since it seems to be simpler than many years of hard work on scientific books and constant self-education. More precisely, you can educate yourself by looking into yourself, and not into books.

Why please and pretend to be something at all, when this is just an optional intermediate link before relaxation, before the ability to do what you like, and not what you are forced to do?

Society is not yet able to provide everyone with an interesting and well-paid job. Therefore, it is often perceived as a punishment, as an unpleasant duty, only as a means of earning money for subsequent pleasures. Accordingly, self-control is perceived as an additional burden, tension. And it really leads to stress, wear and tear of the nervous system, if it does not bring joy, but is only violence against oneself.

It is important to note that self-control alone does not ensure success in life. Success depends on so many circumstances, often just luck and natural talents. But to a large extent - from education, upbringing, from work on oneself. And yes, success is relative. Some consider the accumulated wealth to be a success, while others, on the contrary, see a spiritual fall in wealth. Self-control can be used by an individual both for his own good and for harm. It is often difficult to distinguish between good and bad. (However, if you do not look back at yourself, do not try to evaluate your actions from the outside, then there will certainly be less chance of achieving your goals, no matter how high or low they may be.)

Therefore, the benefits of self-control are not obvious. He does not eliminate failures, and therefore the negative attitude towards him that is encountered is not unreasonable. An example is given of a centipede that could not move when asked how it could manage its legs. Although it is unlikely that a centipede has been asked in real life, in general it is not difficult to give examples of automatic actions (for example, when driving a car) when you do not need to ask yourself too many questions.

If self-control has costs, then they are not very striking in modern society. But lack of culture, disrespect for others rushing everywhere. There is no smell of excessive self-control yet, even if it is possible in principle. Well, there are people who are too picky about their appearance, about the cleanliness and order in the house, or too pedantic in their work, but no one went crazy from this. On the contrary, zeal usually comes from the heart and brings joy.

But there are more than enough smokers on the street, screaming on the phone in public transport. Usually they do not even realize that they are disturbing someone, so everything is in order with their personal peace of mind. However, at work, an employee who constantly whistles, stamps his foot, picks his nose or beard, etc., gradually begins to annoy. Of course, they don’t get fired for this, but when more compelling reasons appear, then all the minor flaws will play their role.

In addition, a person who does not control himself well does not shine in business either, since everything comes from one head.

So when you meet a person by their clothes, you can already say a lot about him. For example, a large belly clearly hints at a person's inclinations and his low ability to self-control. Not to mention the fact that excess weight physically interferes, which its owner cannot but know about, but still wants to be appreciated for who he is.

Choosing a point of view on self-control is the right of everyone. It is connected with such difficult and insoluble questions as the meaning of life and the purpose of the existence of mankind. Therefore, today it is unambiguously decided on all citizens. Everyone decides for himself what brings him more satisfaction: either work for the good of society, or drinking. However, it is important to tell children what they can expect in the future from this or that choice, so that later they do not make claims that they were not explained to them.

Therefore, it is better to teach self-control to the younger generation. In extreme cases, it may then refuse to use the acquired skills. And if they haven’t been taught, then in the first place very adults will have to reap the fruits of their carelessness, when young people will not give a damn about social norms, do not respect history and knowledge in general, they will turn back everything that, in their opinion, leads to pleasure and justice in terms of concepts . N.V. Nevesenko