Toward Consensus in the Psychology of Self-Regulation: How Far Have We Come? How Far Do We Have Yet to Travel?

APPLIED psychology; SELF-efficacy; GOAL (Psychology); MOTIVATION (Psychology); SELF psychology; HEALTH promotion; EMOTIONS

This article presents an overview of the April 2005 issue of the "Applied Psychology: An International Review." The three target articles in this issue and their respective commentaries have sought to bring the theory and practice of self-regulation into closer alignment. Regulation by means of feedback and feedforward processes is another common feature of the approaches outlined in the target articles. In the article of Boekaerts and Corno, they highlight hierarchical and interactive structures in their discussion of topdown and bottom-up self-regulation and goal prioritization in classrooms. While in the article of Vancouver and Day, they considered the goal-setting theory in concert with control- and social cognitive theory and illustrated the strengths and potential weaknesses of cybernetic formulations in work contexts. Finally, Maes and Karoly devoted considerable attention on the role of reference signals, feedback loops, and discrepancy reduction processes in illness management and health promotion. All the articles converge in acknowledging the central importance of emotion or stress regulation. In articulating how individuals can self-regulate their illness management and health promotion goals, Maes and Karoly have noted the importance of emotional awareness, emotion monitoring, and the deployment of varied coping skills-particularly when goals become difficult or unattainable.