Self-regulation

You absolutely enjoy delicious food but you also absolutely want a slim figure? You want to quit smoking, you know all the disadvantages of this bad habit, and still, you cannot get yourself to the point of actually stop smoking? You want to study and get the best grade ever, but despite your dedicated plans you start too late with the preparations for your exam? You should be saving about 10% of your monthly income in order to be able to retire, but all other needs are prioritized above your future pension? You want save mother nature but you also enjoy routine of your coffee-to-go in a plastic cup when you are on your daily commute? All these topics are related to self-regulation and self-control.

The entire course will be taught in English. This also includes assignments and exams.

The goal of this course is to familiarize students with fundamental issues in the area of self- regulation, motivation, and emotion. Topics include basic self-regulatory processes such as goal setting and goal striving, self-control, and self-knowledge and facilitating and disruptive factors that influence self-regulatory processes, such as motivation, emotion (regulation), habits and automatic influences. Strategies for improving self-regulation will also be discussed. These topics are focused on four specific themes of interest: health, education, finance, and sustainability. This course is part of the minor ‘Well-being by design: Behavioral Foundations and Public Policy’ where these four themes are recurring and encountered from different perspectives at micro, meso, macro, or an integrated level. The current psychological perspective is reflecting the micro/individual level. The course consists of lectures (knowledge) and tutorials with assignments (knowledge and skills).

After succeeding this course students should be able to:

• Describe and explain the basic self-regulation theories and the accompanying key concepts.
• Apply these theories in order to explain behavior.
• Describe factors that either stimulate or disrupt self-regulation.
• Write an introduction about self-regulation in accordance with the academic standards

These goals will be assessed in assignments paired to the tutorials and lectures. The assignments will be testing students' knowledge and understanding of the literature and lectures, and their academic writing skills in relation to the topic of self-regulation.

You must meet the following requirements

• Items There is not a handbook coupled to this course. We will work with articles. See course manual