Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Melissa Rappel
Abstract
Past research proves that willpower and self-discipline have countless beneficial aspects on a
unacceptable behaviors. Included are a couple of different research studies as well as an online
poll that confirms willpower is a requirement for healthy behaviors. While developing these
healthy behaviors, an individual will also strengthen his or her self-control and self-discipline.
Self-discipline gives sense of control over a persons life, their actions, and reactions. Willpower
Studies prove that willpower and self-discipline can improve ones life. With more self-
control, individuals can eat better, exercise more often, avoid smoking, using drugs, and alcohol,
as well as develop better study habits. To change a negative aspect of a persons life into a
healthy change, one must first determine his or her willpower, and then he or she must
Willpower is the ability to deliberately control short-term temptations in order to meet the
long-term goals. It is the capacity to delay gratification. Over forty years ago, a psychologist
named Walter Mischel did an experiment on multiple children called the Delay of Gratification
in Children. They were each given a plate of marshmallows and were told if they could wait to
eat, they would get two marshmallows. If they could restrain themselves, they could ring a bell
but would only receive one marshmallow. Later Walter revisited his subjects and found that those
who waited, were more likely to score higher on the SAT, and their parents were more likely to
rate them as having a greater ability to plan, handle stress, respond to reason, exhibit self-control
in frustrating situations and concentrate without becoming distracted (Mishel, 1989, p. 936-
937). By establishing the long-term goal and motivation for change, individuals are working and
The benefits of willpower also extend to learning and developing new healthy behaviors.
Examples of such behavior include: eating better, exercising more often, better studying habits,
not indulging in smoking, drinking, or using of drugs. While achieving willpower, self-
discipline, and healthy behaviors, the individual is developing good self-control habits. A British
psychologist did an experiment at a Scotland orthopedic hospital on elderly patients who had just
undergone surgery. He wanted them to develop healthy habits of exercise for their recovery
WILLPOWER AND SELF-DISCIPLINE 4
process after surgery. The researcher gave the patients a booklet on rehabilitation schedules, and
in the back of the brochure were empty pages. The researcher asked the patients to write down
weekly goals. After three months, she reviewed their booklets and found that those who wrote
down goals and developed willpower and healthy habits were walking after the surgery twice as
fast as the patients who had not written anything. The patients who wrote in the books were very
precise and detailed, on explaining the reasons their independence and goals had them succeed
faster in recovery after surgery (Orbell & Paschal, 1992). Lasting lifestyle and behavior changes
dont happen overnight. Willpower is a learned skill, not an inherent trait. We all have the
capacity to develop skills to make changes last, said Katherine C. Nordal, Ph.D, executive
to break down seemingly unattainable goals into manageable portions (Nordal, 2010, para. 3).
The next step is strengthening self-control and discipline. Self-control and discipline help
with self-destructive, addictive, obsessive, and compulsive behavior. It also helps build up a
persons self-esteem and gives the sense of control and balance of your life. Duckworth and
Seligman did a study and proved that even self-discipline outweighs Intelligence Quotient (IQ).
parent report, teacher report, and monetary choice questionnaires in the fall predicted final
grades, school attendance, standardized achievement-test scores, and selection into a competitive
high school program the following spring. Self-discipline measured in the fall accounted for
more than twice as much variance as IQ in final grades, high school selection, school attendance,
hours spent doing homework, hours spent watching television (inversely), and the time of day
students began their homework. (Duckworth & Seligman, 2009, p. 939-944). Another
experiment, which demonstrates the power of self-control and willpower, was conducted by
WILLPOWER AND SELF-DISCIPLINE 5
Oaten and Cheng. Australian scientists Oaten and Chang (2006) did a two-month volunteer
study of exercise. This study was based solely on willpower and self-control. After two months
the individuals who participated did it out of habit and willpower and had success in nearly all
areas of their lives. People reported to smoking less, eating healthier, improving their study
habits, spending less, and drinking less alcohol (Oaten & Cheng, 2006, para. 9).
Interactive in early March (2009), fewer than one in five adults (sixteen percent) reported being
very successful at making health-related improvements such as losing weight (twenty percent),
starting a regular exercise program (fifteen percent), eating a healthier diet (ten percent), and
reducing stress (seven percent) so far this year, although about nine in ten adults (eighty-eight
percent) who resolved to make a health-related change say they have been at least somewhat
successful at achieving it since January. Despite these efforts, about three-quarters (seventy-eight
percent) of those who made a health-related resolution say significant obstacles block them from
making progress, such as willpower (thirty-three percent), making changes alone (twenty-four
percent), and experiencing too much stress (twenty percent) (American Psychological
In conclusion, to change a negative aspect of a persons life into a healthy change, one
must first determine his or her willpower, then he or she must incorporate healthy behaviors
while strengthening self-control and discipline. Many studies prove willpower is obtainable if the
individual establishes the motivation for change. The individual will then develop healthy
behaviors and habits, while strengthening self-control and discipline. Some strategies to help
with self-control: focus on one goal at a time, avoid temptations, make a plan to achieve the
long-term goal, monitor behaviors towards reaching the goal, believe in yourself, reward
yourself, and seek support if needed (American Psychological Association [APA], n.d.). In the
process of changing one long-term pattern, an individual can change many different aspects in
References
Orbell, S., & Sheeran, P., (2000), Motivational and volitional processes in action initiation: A
Oaten, M., & Cheng, K. (2006). Longitudinal gains in self-regulation from physical exercise.