College of Health

The concept of self-regulation has received heightened attention as a key mechanism that predicts a variety of developmental outcomes throughout the life span. Although researchers have focused on self-regulation from a diverse set of perspectives, it is clear that self-regulation has important implications for individual health and well-being starting early in life. In the fields of child psychology and developmental science, an emphasis on Relational-Developmental-Systems (RDS) illuminates how self-regulation contributes to individual development.

This chapter reflects the RDS theoretical orientation and focuses on major issues in the study of self-regulation in childhood and adolescence. We start by situating the study of self-regulation within the RDS context and discussing key conceptual issues that guide researchers’ understanding of the development of self-regulation. We then define self-regulation and reviews research on important correlates of self-regulation including academic achievement, motor processes, intelligence, and risk factors. Next, we discuss cross-cultural variation in these skills and person-context relations. We conclude by discussing self-regulation from the perspective of RDS and next steps for studying self-regulation in context, improving intervention efforts, and advancing analytical and measurement methods.