Social and emotional skills

Self-Control

Holding to an intention when something more immediate is on offer.

Your answers might be used for scientific research and/or building reference data for psychological tests. Privacy notice

At a glance

Questions
20
Typical time
Under 10 min
Time limit
30 min
Age
18+
Compared with
Adults generally

5-point scale ranging from "Strongly Disagree” to “Strongly Agree”

What it reports

Reported as one overall score rather than as separate scales.

Self-Control: The Key to Personal Mastery

Self-control, often synonymous with self-discipline, is the ability to regulate thoughts, emotions, and behaviors in the face of temptations and impulses. It’s a foundational skill that enables individuals to make positive decisions, stay focused on long-term goals, and act in their best interest.

Why Self-Control Matters:

  • In Personal Life:
    • Enhances Decision-Making: Leads to healthier choices in lifestyle, relationships, and financial management.
    • Reduces Stress: Helps manage emotional responses, reducing anxiety and improving overall well-being.
  • In Professional Life:
    • Boosts Productivity: Fosters the ability to concentrate and stay on task.
    • Encourages Professional Growth: Critical for setting and achieving career objectives, adapting to change, and overcoming challenges.

Self-control is frequently assessed because it:

  • Predicts success in various life domains, including academic achievement, career progression, and personal relationships.
  • Is considered a stronger determinant of success than IQ.
  • Can be developed and strengthened over time, making it a focus for personal development programs.

The ability to exercise self-control is crucial for achieving a balanced, productive, and fulfilling life. It empowers individuals to overcome obstacles, pursue their goals relentlessly, and realize their full potential in both personal and professional realms.

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What the test measures

Harnessing Willpower: The Self-Control Scale

Measuring Your Mastery over Impulses

The Self-Control Scale evaluates:

  • Perseverance: Your ability to remain focused and complete tasks.
  • Premeditation: How well you consider the consequences before acting.
  • Risk Avoidance: Your tendency to steer clear of risky behaviors.
  • Impulsivity: Assessing how often you act on impulses rather than reasoning.

This assessment provides an overall estimate of your self-control, offering insights into how you manage desires and impulses. Additionally, you can see how your score compares with the general adult population, providing a benchmark for where you stand in terms of self-regulation and discipline.

Why is it useful?

Empowering Change: The Value of the Self-Control Scale

Unlocking Personal Growth Online

The Self-Control Scale on our online platform is beneficial because it:

  • Identifies Strengths and Weaknesses: Reveals areas of self-discipline that are well-developed and those that need improvement.
  • Facilitates Self-Improvement: Guides focused efforts on enhancing self-regulation skills.
  • Enhances Decision-Making: Improves your ability to make healthier, more deliberate choices.
  • Supports Goal Achievement: Strengthens perseverance and premeditation for reaching personal and professional goals.
  • Accessible Insight: Provides immediate feedback, accessible from anywhere, to kickstart your journey towards better self-control.

Understanding your self-control capabilities is the first step in harnessing them to foster success and well-being in every aspect of life.

What is the procedure?

  • Age of respondents: 18 and older.
  • Completion time: Most people complete the test in less than 10 minutes.
  • Is the test timed: Yes, to 30 minutes
  • Test length: The Self-Control Scale consists of 20 short questions
  • Test format: Self-reports
  • Question format: Multiple-choice questions
  • Response scale: 5-point scale ranging from “Strongly Disagree” to “Strongly Agree”
  • Confidential: Yes, full confidentiality guaranteed
  • Norms: Available (for the general adult population)
  • Availability of results: Immediate

How it works

Three steps, then a result

  1. You answer

    20 questions, under 10 min. There is no penalty for stopping early, but until autosave is switched on, leaving the page loses your answers.

  2. It is scored

    Scoring happens the moment you finish. Nothing is queued, emailed later or charged for.

  3. You read it against adults

    Your score is placed against adults generally, which is the one comparison group held for this test.

What you get

Your results, and their limits

As soon as you finish

You see your score on each scale the test measures, together with a short note on what that scale refers to and how to read the number. There is no charge.

Scores are read against adults generally. That is the one comparison group held for this test, so a score places you among adults as a whole rather than among people of your age, occupation or country.

What it will not tell you

It is not a diagnosis and not a clinical assessment. It will not tell you whether you are suited to a particular job or course, and a score is not a verdict on you.

Results depend on how carefully and honestly you answer. If a result concerns you, or you are struggling, speak to a doctor or a licensed psychologist. Terms of use.

The rest of the collection

Every free test, by what it measures

Ready when you are

20 questions | Under 10 min | free | scored immediately

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