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Good self-control is a crucial factor in the distribution of life
outcomes, ranging from success at school and work, to good mental
and physical health, and to satisfying romantic relationships.
While in the last decades psychologists have learned much about
this all-important trait, both social theory and politics have not
caught up. Many academics and policymakers still seem to believe
that everybody has unlimited capacity for self-control and that
maintaining discipline is purely a matter of volition. This book
shows that such beliefs are fundamentally mistaken. It presents the
state-of-the-art in research on self-control, explains why this
trait has been largely overlooked, and sets out the profound
implications of this psychological research for moral
responsibility, distributive justice and public policy. It shows
that the growing emphasis in politics on 'personal responsibility'
is deeply problematic, and outlines alternatives more in accord
with human psychology.
This open access book sets out to explain the reasons for the gap
between "knowing" and "doing" in view of self-reliance, which is
more and more often expected of citizens. In today's society,
people are expected to take responsibility for their own lives and
be self-reliant. This is no easy feat. They must be on constant
high alert in areas of life such as health, work and personal
finances and, if things threaten to go awry, take appropriate
action without further ado. What does this mean for public policy?
Policymakers tend to assume that the government only needs to
provide people with clear information and that, once properly
informed, they will automatically do the right thing. However, it
is becoming increasingly obvious that things do not work like that.
Even though people know perfectly well what they ought to do, they
often behave differently. Why is this? This book sets out to
explain the reasons for the gap between 'knowing' and 'doing'. It
focuses on the role of non-cognitive capacities, such as setting
goals, taking action, persevering and coping with setbacks, and
shows how these capacities are undermined by adverse circumstances.
By taking the latest psychological insights fully into account,
this book presents a more realist perspective on self-reliance, and
shows government officials how to design rules and institutions
that allow for the natural limitations in people's 'capacity to
act'.
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