Ways and methods of personality self-regulation in psychology

What it is

Stability depends on the ability of living multi-level systems to organize. There are several opinions about what self-regulation is, and in some ways they are similar. Differences in judgments are associated with the position from which the analyst looks at this topic. Philosophers and psychologists are most interested in the question.

Definition in philosophy

Science studies the processes of cognition and thinking, values ​​and moral categories from the perspective of the development of society and the world as a whole. If we consider the property of control, then in philosophy self-regulation is the ability of a person to completely control himself through the primacy of consciousness.

Here it is important to choose the right position regarding your inner world:

• if the desire to manipulate them is added to the awareness of thoughts and feelings, this can lead to intrapersonal conflict;
• accepting the inner world as an integral part of oneself, respecting it is the right path to a productive life;
• when awareness of the inner world becomes the basis for changing one's own behavior, this can provoke a war with oneself.

For your information. Awareness will always prevent constructive changes in behavior. The effectiveness of self-regulation lies in the fact that a person can control his behavior, regardless of his own consciousness.

Psychologists' opinion

Dynamic, energetic, content-semantic aspects make it possible to realize and model reality. Therefore, in psychology, self-regulation is considered as one of the levels of correction of system activity.

Experts present psychological self-realization as an informational process based on mental forms of reflection of reality. In this closed loop, implementation occurs through various means: representations, images, concepts, etc. This is influenced by external factors and activities.

Taken as a basis, a goal can produce different results even with similar behavior patterns. It all depends on personal qualities, the nature of nervous activity, habits, lifestyle, and degree of organization.

Basic theories of self-regulation

Self-control - what is it in psychology, definition

In scientific works and coursework there are various theories about self-regulation of behavior. They all agree that managing the psyche and emotions is interconnected with the type of activity. Due to certain circumstances, intellect or emotions may be dominant.

System activity theory

Mental self-regulation is not only a system, but also an activity. It is connected with the professional sphere and adaptation in it. If this is a system, then the ability to control is defined as a transition from an unconscious form to a conscious one, bringing it to automatism.

Levels of self-regulation

Thanks to self-control, self-persuasion, and reprogramming at the tactical level of self-regulation, not only cognitive changes occur, but also personal ones.

Voluntary self-regulation

System-functional theory

In this case, self-regulation in psychology is the transition from one state to another through understanding one’s own “I”. The process occurs through the activation of self-control, personal meanings and motives.

The use of such self-regulation allows one to go through several intermediate states. As a result of a gradual transition, a functional structure of personality regulation is formed. Conscious reactions to problematic situations become habitual and are able to maintain a high level of functioning.

For self-regulation to become successful, the subject must be aware of his condition, have a desire to change, realistically feel and perceive his activities. This is achieved by involving the imagination, thoughts and feelings, memories, breathing control, and bodily sensations.

Methods for managing emotions

• Restrain yourself
  . It is necessary not to respond to provocations, not to react to every boor. Before responding to the offender, you should count to five. It is necessary to learn to block emotions on the advice of psychologists: first we think, then we speak. We breathe calmly, our speech is even. You can go out, drink a glass of water to calm down, think and respond adequately.
• Self-hypnosis
  . This is the frequent pronouncing of certain phrases to oneself, for example, “I am calm”, “I control myself.” An esoteric method of self-hypnosis - for those who master energy techniques, enhancing courage and suppressing fear. Self-hypnosis can be used to change negative emotions to positive ones.
• Switch or use shock therapy
  . Not every person can fight back an opponent. Sometimes it's easier to switch your thoughts to something positive. For example, ask an unexpected question. There are many ways to control emotions. Use your imagination as a canvas, imagine that your opponent is singing a funny song or has a funny hat on his head. Mentally draw a tall, strong wall around you. Try to disconnect from reality for a while. In this case, the provocateur will not be able to provoke a response. The “cap” method helps especially well: if your opponent yells or insults, but there is no way to answer him, you need to imagine him under a dome or some other thing that can muffle the sound of his voice.
• Meditation
  . It helps you control not only your body, but also your spirit. Concentration techniques make it possible to develop states of peace and relaxation, understand yourself and consider your anger, and learn to let go of your negative emotions.
• Daily physical exercise
  . Sometimes accumulated negativity prevents you from mastering yourself. To eliminate it, you can load your body with even the simplest exercises. Morning jogging and classes in sports clubs will help tidy up not only the body, but also the soul, and all the negativity will be burned away during training. If you feel angry, just play sports and let it out.
• Prayer
  . It is recommended to read the prayer not only before going to bed, but also at any free moment. If a believer feels that he is losing control, he needs to close his eyes and read a prayer, ask God for strength, take away all the negativity and give him patience, wisdom, and goodwill. The main aspect is built on peace and tranquility.
• Yoga breathing pranayama
  . Prana is life energy, breath. Yama - control, management of feelings. The breathing technique, which is designed to learn how to manage your emotions, allows you to experience negative outbursts and gain inner peace. The power of pranayamas is that it affects both the general condition of the body and the emotional sphere of a person.

Mechanisms of self-regulation

Subconscious - what is it, definition

Thanks to changes in psychological activity, the subject is able to achieve balance and harmony of states. This provides the following capabilities:

• the ability to resist negative aspects of life;
• ability to restrain yourself in conflict situations;
• the ability to think rationally during crises and stress;
• restoration of strength.

On a note. For self-regulation to become conscious, you need qualities such as responsibility, independence, flexibility, perseverance, and reliability.

Components and levels

To understand how the self-regulation mechanism works, you need to consider 2 main elements of this property:

1. Self-control, which begins to develop from the age of 3. It helps to give up something desired and pleasant for an important purpose.
2. In the normal development of a child, consent is formed at 7 years of age. A person is able to agree with what he cannot do and what he can do.

Self-control

To learn to build new impulses and motives through mental control, a person must have willpower.

Levels of self-regulation

The control mechanism is an individual choice for everyone. Self-regulation is activated when the need arises to change oneself, and not circumstances.

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The topic of regulating one's own state has always attracted me. Through it, a person gains power over himself and becomes more perfect. Therefore, it is useful to find out what methods and methods of regulation exist. Below is a classification and a brief overview of them.

1. Classification of methods for regulating the human condition

The classification of methods is varied, for example:

By method of influence:

1. Direct methods (pharmacology, bibliotherapy, music...).

2. Methods of indirect influence (occupational therapy, simulation games, suggestion).

By type of regulating and activating systems:

1. Specific

2. Nonspecific.

3. Cognitive-motivational

and etc.

The first two groups of methods are unconscious, involuntary regulation, and the last is volitional, consciously regulated.

There are also 3 methods for eliminating unwanted emotional states:

1. Through other emotions.

2. Cognitive regulation (here attention and thinking are used to suppress unwanted emotions and establish control over them).

3. Motor regulation (uses physical activity as a channel for releasing emotional tension.

In general, all methods of regulation are divided into external and internal, although this is purely conditional.

2. External methods of regulating mental state

1. Pharmacological (for example caffeine, ephedrine...).

2. External suggestion (suggestion) . Speech and non-speech means of communication are used here. The effectiveness of this method, aimed at the sleeping person, especially increases, especially after vibration massage and sauna. Hypnosis, which is a state in itself, is also used to unlock creativity, improve performance, and achieve optimal functional state. But this method usually requires special conditions.

3. Impact with color. Warm colors increase activity, while cold colors decrease it, and also reduce heart rate and blood pressure.

4. Exposure to music. Can bring relief (harmonious music is the best psychotherapist). Rhythm and tonality allow us to evoke different emotional states. Music with meaning enhances the impact.

5. Catharsis (from Greek - cleansing). The therapeutic effect consists of a discharge, a response of affect previously repressed into the subconscious. Used in psychoanalysis.

6. Imitation games (role-playing and business). Role-playing helps reduce anxiety and gain confidence.

7. Bibliotherapy (libropsychotherapy). Here a person is drawn into the world of the writer and becomes an accomplice. At the same time, his own unpleasant thoughts and emotions are repressed. Audiobooks can be used to break up monotony.

8. Telotology (use of laughter). Suppresses pain (through endorphins and catecholamines), reduces stress.

9. Physical means (massage - to restore performance and regulate mental states. Vibromassage is also used here. Hydrotherapy (warm showers, baths, swimming pool, sauna or steam bath) are used to reduce excitation of the central nervous system and reduce muscle tension.

10. Nonspecific activation. Use of a weak electromagnetic field and aerons (for example, saturation with ozone...).

3. Methods of self-regulation of mental state.

There are many of these methods. Here we can highlight:

1. Self-hypnosis. Using yoga practice or self-hypnosis. This can also include verbal influences: self-persuasion, self-order.

2. Relaxation training (neuromuscular relaxation, progressive relaxation). Bekhterev, Jacobson were the first to do this. This also includes ideomotor training (mental sequential relaxation of the muscles of the body), sensory reproduction of images (relaxation by imagining images of objects and whole situations, based on the similarity of the state of the muscles during real and imaginary movement).

3. Autogenic AT training (self-generating training). The most famous is Schultz’s classic AT, which is based on the European system of self-hypnosis, yoga, and the hypnotic state.

The development of this system is psychoregulatory training (PRT) by Alekseev A.V., which does not use the feeling of heaviness in various parts of the body, and also uses the exciting part.

The mental basis of AT is dispassionate concentration on images and sensations associated with skeletal muscles. Currently, AT and its modifications use biofeedback that changes rhythm, muscle load, and brain wave activity.

4. Desensitization. A technique for reducing negative tension, anxiety and fears towards stressful images, frightening objects or situations. The task of desensitization is to erase the clamps that trigger these fears. It is essentially a private, more in-depth version of Schultz’s AT. It uses breath control and a positive attitude. Desensitization occurs, for example, in classical auditing of reliving a traumatic situation. This method is widely used in psychotherapy.

5. Reactive relaxation

6. Methods of controlling the direction of consciousness.

Among them :

1. Disconnection (distraction) - the ability to think about anything except emotional circumstances. Thinking about the good, the pleasant.

2. Switching (focus on some interesting thing).

Helps relieve emotional stress:

1. Obtaining additional information that removes the uncertainty of the situation.

2. Development of a backup fallback strategy for achieving the goal in case of failure.

3. Postponing the achievement of a goal for a while if it is realized that it is impossible to do this given the available funds and time.

4. Writing a letter or journal entry outlining the situation and the reasons that caused emotional stress.

7. Meditation. Its goal is to master and control one’s own attention in order to reduce concentration on a chosen subject to prevent mental stress. Meditation allows you to control heart rate, reduce skin resistance, increase alpha activity of the brain, reduce blood pressure and cortisone levels, eliminate pain, improve sleep, better adapt to mental stress, and reduce anxiety and fears.

8. Occupational therapy and physical activity. Distracts from unnecessary obsessive thoughts and experiences, from obsessing.

9. Swimming in the pool, various hobbies and interests, doing what gives pleasure (pleasant).

10. Natural methods (methods) - long sleep, food, communication with nature (observing the landscape, contemplating the sights and sounds of nature, bathing in the sun's rays, breathing fresh air, etc.) and with animals, communicating with calm and optimistic people, movement, dancing, looking at photos and things dear to a person, expressing praise and compliments.

11. Artificial methods. For example, special exercises such as “Shelter”, “Inner Ray”, “Mood”, etc.

As a result of self-regulation, there can be three main effects:

1. Calming effect (elimination of emotional tension).

2. Restoration effect (weakening of manifested fatigue).

3. Activation effect (increased psychophysiological reactivity).

There are methods for identifying and working with negative formations, in particular:

1. A method for identifying the semantic essence of unfavorable mental states. Provides immediate relief and the opportunity to understand the semantic essence of the sources of unpleasant conditions

2. Method of scanning the subconscious in the presence of destructive attitudes and programs. Consists of answers to standard questions.

3. Methods of self-reprogramming in NLP (neurolinguistic programming ).

The function of self-regulation in humans

Affirmation - what is it, definition

Managing emotions and behavior is impossible without self-esteem, ego concept, life priorities and level of aspirations. Character, temperament, mental characteristics and gender are important here.

Self-regulation in men and women

Even those who have not studied physiology know that women are emotionally more fragile creatures. They perceive situations and react to them differently.

Features of self-regulation

The difference can also be seen in the direction of self-regulation. For men it is internal, for women it is external.

Features of gender response

The main factor influencing management features is the psychophysiological difference between the sexes. The process is also determined by the following aspects:

• gender cultural stereotypes;
• differences in the upbringing of boys and girls;
• specifics of activity;
• differentiation of social roles.

Levels of personality development, mental state, and age characteristics can also influence.

The emergence of self-regulation and its development

The child begins to consciously use self-regulation methods when he comes to understand his own “I”. This is determined during the period of 3 years of age. From this moment on, there is a continuous development of self-regulation according to certain dynamics. It is actively used in pedagogy for raising children.

Stages of development of self-regulation

Type of children's self-regulation

The development of management is influenced by social aspects, age-appropriate activities, and even the environment. The main driver of development can be called motivation. The higher it is, the more perfect the regulation system.

Methods of self-regulation associated with breathing

Breath control is a very effective means of influencing muscle tone and emotional brain centers. If you breathe slowly and deeply (abdominal breathing), the excitability of the nerve centers decreases, and a state of relaxation occurs. If you breathe exclusively through the chest, then the highest degree of activity of the body is ensured and neuropsychic tension is maintained.

Next, we present one of the simplest and most effective methods of respiratory self-regulation:

• You need to sit down, take a comfortable body position and focus on breathing
• While counting to four, you should take a deep and slow breath (use abdominal breathing)
• Then you need to hold your breath and also count to four.
• After this, you need to exhale smoothly, counting to six.
• Next, you need to hold your breath again, counting to four.

After just five minutes of doing this breathing exercise, you will notice that your state has become more balanced and calm.

Methods of mental self-regulation can and should be used daily at any moment when you begin to feel fatigue, tension, irritability, loss of strength, emotional decline and other similar conditions. In fact, such methods of influencing a person on himself are an excellent way to always be in a cheerful state and in a good mood, regardless of the characteristics of current situations.

YOUR WAYS OF SELF-REGULATION: Among other things, it is very interesting that each person has his own methods of mental self-regulation, i.e. those methods that suit him best. However, finding out which ones are effective and which ones are not very effective can be quite difficult - this requires a lot of practice and knowledge of the characteristics of one’s personality. But today we offer you an excellent opportunity to go through the first stage in a very short time and learn enough information about yourself to develop the most effective method of self-regulation for yourself, the use of which will serve you very well in life. This way is our course on self-knowledge, which you can find here.

Start self-knowledge, and we wish you good luck and always be in the best condition for yourself!

We also recommend reading:

• Storytelling
• Eight Strategies to Improve Self-Regulation
• Ways to relieve stress
• Anger management: a selection of useful materials
• Common complexes and overcoming them. Part 2
• Anger: causes and overcoming
• Systematic desensitization of Joseph Wolpe
• Psychic reflection
• Surprising facts about stress
• Emotional Intelligence in Leadership
• Properties of mental states

Key words:1Psychoregulation

Examples of self-regulation from life

Mastering control methods, a person independently selects for himself the most acceptable “recipe for sedation.” To normalize the condition, he can use a whole range of actions:

• take a walk in the evening park;
• go fishing;
• listen to music alone, etc.

Some will benefit from breathing therapy, while others will benefit from good sleep. Examples of women’s self-regulation include a run to the shops or a cup of coffee and cake in the company of a friend.

Example of self-regulation

Young people relieve stress in the gym or at the disco. Those who are older wrap themselves in their favorite blanket, pick up a book and distract themselves from the uncomfortable situation. Elderly people find peace in communicating with their grandchildren.