Control (psychology)
In psychology, control is a person's ability or perception of their ability to affect themselves, others, their conditions, their environment or some other circumstance. Control over oneself or others can extend to the regulation of emotions, thoughts, actions, impulses, memory, attention or experiences. There are several types of control, including:
This article is about the concept in psychology. For other uses, see Control (disambiguation).Desired control[edit]
Desired control is the degree of influence that an individual desires over any subject, circumstance, or relationship.[5] This can apply to romantic, non-romantic, professional, and sales contexts.[6] Desired control is often associated with perceived control, and studies focused on individuals with a lower desire for control show a correlation with greater psychological problems.[5]
Ego control[edit]
'Ego control' describes the efforts of an individual to control "thoughts, emotions, impulses or appetites... task performances [and] attentional processes."[18] Failure of ego control is seen as a central problem in individuals who have substance abuse disorders.
Situational control[edit]
In leadership psychology, situational control is "the degree to which the situation provides the leader with potential influence over the group's behavior".[19] Situational favourableness or situational control describes a person's ability to persuade or control the group situation, or the degree in which the person(s) is able to influence the behavior(s) of group members to face a current situation.[20] The qualities, characteristics, and skills of a leader are required to persuade a group situation by a large extent by the demands of the situation.[21] Several more factors can be placed upon situational control, such as leadership style and commitment and competitiveness of the leader.