Page 19 - Seniorstoday December 2023 Issue

Point of View

Self-control

isn’t always

a good thing

Having too much control can be bad for your mental health,
writes Alex Lambert

Having high self-control is often seen as bad. While it makes us more likely to
a good thing. It’s believed to be key to behave in a certain way, most of us are
success in many aspects of life – whether psychologically flexible and can adapt to
that’s getting a promotion at work, sticking the different situations we’re put in. So,
to your workout regime or resisting the regardless of whether we’re overcontrolled
temptation of a sweet treat when you’re or undercontrolled, this flexibility helps us
watching what you eat. deal with life’s challenges and setbacks in a
But as suggested by a theory published constructive way.
by Professor Thomas Lynch in 2018, high But both undercontrol and overcontrol
self-control may not always be a good thing can become problematic. This usually
– and for some, it could be linked to certain happens when a combination of biological,
mental health problems. social and personal factors makes us much
According to Lynch’s theory, every less flexible.
single one of us leans more towards one
of two personality styles: undercontrol
or overcontrol. The way we tend to lean
depends on many factors, including our
genes, the behaviour that people around us
reward and discourage, our life experiences
and the coping strategies we use in
everyday life.
Importantly, being undercontrolled
or overcontrolled is neither good nor

SENIORS TODAY | ISSUE #54 | DECEMBER 2023 19