Handbook of Personality and Self-Regulation - by Rick H Hoyle (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

The Handbook of Personality and Self-Regulation integrates scholarly research on self-regulation in the personality, developmental, and social psychology traditions for a broad audience of social and behavioral scientists interested in the processes by which people control, or fail to control, their own behavior.

• Examines self-regulation as it influences and is influenced by basic personality processes in normal adults
• Offers 21 original contributions from an internationally respected group of scholars in the fields of personality and self-regulation
• Explores the causes and consequences of inadequate self-regulation and the means by which self-regulation might be improved
• Integrates empirical findings on basic personality traits with findings inspired by emerging models of self-regulation
• Provides a comprehensive, up-to-date, and stimulating view of the field for students and researchers in a wide range of disciplines

From the Back Cover

"Rick H. Hoyle has used the study of self-regulation to draw together exciting findings from the usually disparate areas of information processing, temperament/personality, developmental, and social psychology. Psychologists from these areas will add breadth and integration to their models of self-regulation, and clinical psychologists will greatly benefit from reading this book."
--Mary K. Rothbart, Distinguished Professor of Psychology Emerita, University of Oregon

"Failure to self-regulate is associated with personal and societal costs (e.g., obesity, alcohol consumption, excessive lending or borrowing, and high-risk investments). Zeal in self-regulating can also be maladaptive, as it is associated with inhibition of emotional expression and authentic behavior. Twenty one chapters from front-line experts offer thoughtful analyses of temperamental and personality substrates of self-regulation along with their interplay with social behavior. This book promises to be an indispensable resource for researchers and practitioners, as well as both graduate and advanced undergraduate students."
--Constantine Sedikides, University of Southampton

The term self-regulation refers to processes by which people control their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. When people succeed at self-regulation, they effectively manage their perceptions of themselves and their social surroundings. They behave in ways that are consistent with their goals and standards of behavior. Conversely, when people struggle or fail at self-regulation, they lose control of their personal and social experience. Their behavior does not contribute to the fulfillment of important goals or correspond to standards of behavior to which they subscribe. Successful self-regulation is essential to adaptive functioning in all life domains.

Given the central role of self-regulation in adaptive and maladaptive functioning, it is not surprising that a large literature has developed on the topic. This literature is unusual in its breadth, spanning biological, developmental, cognitive, and social psychology, and drawing attention from researchers in related disciplines such as sociology and education. Despite the current vitality of this literature, there has been relatively little study of self-regulation as a feature of personality or how personality is reflected in self-regulation.

The primary aim of the proposed volume is to integrate scholarly research on self-regulation in the personality, developmental, and social psychology traditions for a broad audience of social and behavioral scientists interested in the processes by which people control, or fail to control, their own behavior. The volume would include original, integrative, research-based contributions by leading scholars. The resultant book would bridge a conspicuous gap in the burgeoning literature on self-regulation and serve as an important resource for scholars, students, and practitioners in the social and behavioral sciences.

Review Quotes

"This handbook serves as a significant tool for those seeking to understand the complexities of self-regulation. Hoyle (Duke Univ.) has brought together an impressive contingent of authors and developed a work that balances theoretical foundations and practical applications. The contributors do a masterful job of integrating what have often seemed disparate findings in the self-regulation literature...Those working with individuals who have self-regulatory issues are likely to find this volume particularly useful. Summing Up: Highly recommended." (Choice, 1 May 2011)

About the Author

Rick H. Hoyle, PhD, is Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at Duke University. He is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association (Divisions 5, Evaluation, Measurement, and Statistics, and 9, Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues) and a Fellow and Charter Member of the Association for Psychological Science. Dr. Hoyle has served as Associate Editor of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Journal of Personality, and Self and Identity and Editor of Journal of Social Issues. Among his book projects are, Selfhood: Identity, Esteem, Regulation (co-authored with Michael Kernis, Mark Leary, and Mark Baldwin) and the Handbook of Individual Differences in Social Behavior (co-edited with Mark Leary).