ABSTRACT
The prevalence of temptations that, if given in to, undermine health and well-being, and the availability of programs and resources that, if taken advantage of, promote health and well-being are perhaps greater than ever. The likelihood that people will resist those temptations or take advantage of those programs and resources is a function of multiple factors, of which the capacity for self-control is no doubt one. As a result, self-control is frequently included among the constructs used to predict health-relevant behaviors and their consequences. To date, much of that work has relied on a small number of measures and measurement strategies, often without considering their appropriateness for the research questions, contexts, and strategies. In this chapter, we position those measures in a comprehensive framework of self-control measurement that highlights the key features of particular self-report measures and measurement strategies and draws attention to their appropriateness for different types of research involving self-control.
