Official websites use. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. This longitudinal study over a year time span examined predictive associations between self-control development in adolescence and love and work outcomes in adulthood. Participants were 1, adults aged 35 years The predictor variable self-control was measured yearly at the ages of 12 to 16 years. Adult outcome variables were measured at the age of 35 years.
Three important results stand out. First, the measure of adolescent self-control functioned equivalently across the adolescent years. Second, adolescents showed a mean-level increase in self-control across the adolescent years and significant individual differences in level and change of self-control.
Finally, individual differences in change in adolescent self-control predicted better intimate relationships in terms of higher relationship satisfaction and lower conflict; and more satisfaction and engagement in work-life in adulthood independent of the initial levels of self-control in early adolescence.
These findings demonstrate that developmental self-regulatory processes reveal long-term consequences in important life domains beyond the adolescent years.
Keywords: self-control, conscientiousness, adolescent development, adult outcomes, love and work. Hence, if people frequently fail to reach their goals, this is likely caused by low self-control. Accordingly, self-control is related to various positive outcomes. They can have disastrous consequences for an individual and cause high costs for the society. For example, Friedman et al. These differences in self-control were still evident 40 years later predicting self-control performance on tasks requiring suppression of responses to emotionally appealing stimuli Casey et al.
