These donuts are from the Sugar Shack in RVA and they are amazing but could they be a source of aggression in Richmond? This seems silly but research demonstrates that simple choices make emotional control more challenging.
Self-regulation in the context of conflict becomes more difficult when we have had to control ourselves, even in non-related insignificant ways. Violence restrained: effects of self-regulation and its depletion
on aggression provides four studies that looked at four different scenarios that support this point.
The hypothesis was that poor or failing self-control leaves people more likely to act aggressively when aggressive impulses are stimulated. In particular, we build on work suggesting that the capacity for self-control or self-regulation is a limited resource that operates like a strength or energy, and when this capacity has been depleted by prior use, people become less successful at self-regulation—and so they should be more likely to act aggressively if the aggressive impulse arises.
The studies supported this hypothesis in the context of resisting temptation (yummy donut), controlling distraction (don’t look at that word when it flashes), and controlling trained behavior (this time don’t cross out the “e” even though I told you to last time). None of these requirements carried meaning but when the participants were provoked with criticism (this is a bad paper), insults (worst interview ever), and real-life scenarios (your spouse is cheating) they then acted out aggression when given the opportunity significantly more then non-depleted control participants. This extended to being more likely to want to enact violence (i.e. smashing a bottle on the person’s head).
This study demonstrates that individuals are more likely to become aggressive in the context of conflict if they don’t have the resources required for self-regulation. We could all fit into this scenario but some of us are more at risk:
- Individuals with competing external and personal expectations
- Adolescents who are developing their identity through conflict and interaction. (All adolescents but some more than others)
- Individuals who have unresolved or recent loss, trauma, transition
- Individuals in an environment with repeated conflict
Future posts will look out how using physical actions are an alternative in the absence of energy resources. For a bit of humor: Sugar Shack made special vegan donuts on Sundays until there was too much conflict with customers because supply could not meet demand. So no more vegan Sunday donuts but come September the education of students from the high school next door may suffer as they continue to struggle with the task of resistance or the sugar drop that is sure to follow an act of sweet indulgence.