Successful self-regulation involves the ability to pursue one's goals and purposes in a flexible and adaptive manner. Key to this ability is the capacities to inhibit, monitor, and plan one's behavior, always within the constraints afforded by one's social and physical environment. Such mechanisms have traditionally been regarded as conscious and strategic. However, recent research has revealed several distinct forms of self regulation - evaluative, motivational, and behavioral - which operate nonconsciously, without the person's intention or awareness. These forms of self-regulation have been shown to facilitate the individual's successful adaptation to the present situation in many ways. Yet the mechanisms underlying these effects are not well understood, nor are the ways these effects combine and interact with each other. Accordingly, the long-term objectives of the proposed research are to (a) further elucidate the underlying mechanisms of these processes, (b) and identify the 'real-life'conditions under which they occur. These issues will be addressed through a variety of approaches. For example, some studies will examine how nonconscious goals direct selective attention within rich, naturalistic scenes, with this attention measured (via eye tracking technology) as a probable mediator of priming effects elicited by that environment. Others will assess whether the blocking or frustration of nonconscious goals produces aggressive tendencies, as does the blocking of conscious goals. Studies will also extend work on interpersonal goal priming from the domain of close relationships to the broader range of others with whom one interacts on a regular basis (e. g., based on their social roles, or official investigatority), and to the domain of societal norms and expectations, as in obedience and conformity phenomena. Understanding the nature, scope, and function of these nonconscious self-regulatory mechanisms is essential for a complete account of healthy functioning and psychological well-being.
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