Digital piracy: an examination of low self-control and motivation using short-term longitudinal data.

The purpose of the present study was to examine the link between low self-control, motivation, and digital piracy. This study used short-term longitudinal data (i.e., once a week for 4 weeks) from undergraduate students (n = 292) and latent trajectory analysis. The results of this study revealed that the students had significant variability in initial levels and rates of change in digital piracy. The results indicated that whether motivation was treated as a time-invariant or time-varying measure, it along with sex (i.e., being male) had a significant link with the initial levels of digital piracy and that sex and low self-control had links with the rate of change. These results are discussed, and policy implications are made.     

Software Piracy among Korean Adolescents: Lessons from Panel Data

The purpose of this study was to examine the determinants of adolescents’ software piracy over time and discover gender differences based on Self-Control and Problem Behavior theories. Using the Korean Youth Panel Survey data, both random and fixed effects models were estimated although this study focused on within effects. Findings showed that increases in problematic off-line behavior, psychological health problems, and time spent on computers, as well as decrease in self-control, increased the likelihood of computer piracy among Korean adolescents. Additional analyses identified gender differences. Implications for policy and future research as well as limitations are discussed.     

Low Self-control and Deviance: Examining the Moderation of Social Support from Parents

Drawing on self-report survey data from a sample of 425 college students in 2001, this study examines whether parental support can moderate the link between low self-control and deviance. Using multiple measures of low self-control and parental support and item parcels of deviance, structural equation models are developed to arrive at the results. Results reveal that parental support does not completely moderate the link between low self-control and deviance. Importantly, we find that parental support can reduce the link that low self-control has with deviance, suggesting that this is a measure that may be manipulated to reduce instances of deviance.     

Examining the relationship between trait self-control and stress: Evidence on generalizability and outcome variability

Trait self-control has in several studies been found negatively linked to stress. These studies have, however, mostly relied on student and/or one-country samples. Study 1 investigated the generalizability of the relationship between trait self-control and stress through a four-country survey (N = 4097). The results showed consistently strong and negative relationships between trait self-control and stress across the four countries. Study 2 investigated the relationship between trait self-control and daily stress through a two-week diary study (N = 594; n_obs = 7880), showing that trait self-control was negatively related to daily stress and stress variability. Together, the two studies show that trait self-control’s negative link to stress generalizes beyond students and the United States.     

Self-Control and the Depression–Delinquency Link

Research has repeatedly documented the link between depression and delinquency; however, why they are associated remains less clear. Blending diverse research traditions in criminology and psychology, this study suggests that self-control may explain the depression–delinquency association. By conceptualizing self-control as a depletable resource influenced by internal factors, experiencing depressive symptoms may reduce self-control, which in turn increases delinquency. Data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health) lend support for this proposition and suggest that self-control is an important explanatory factor in the depression–delinquency relationship. Specifically, the data show that depression is no longer associated with delinquency when self-control is taken into account and self-control explains more of the association than previous explanations combined.     

Transferring Subcultural Knowledge On-Line: Practices and Beliefs of Persistent Digital Pirates

Criminal subcultures form around deviant behaviors as a consequence of persistent interactions with like-minded others who facilitate the transmission of norms, values, and belief. Although researchers have explored social interactions in the real world, few have considered how learning occurs through virtual interactions. We address the role of on-line interactions in spreading subcultural knowledge by interviewing 34 persistent digital pirates and performing a non-participant ethnography of an on-line forum devoted to piracy. Our results show that through on-line interactions, pirates learn the norms and values of digital piracy, including how to recognize and avoid risks associated with pirating and how to make sense of and justify their actions. They did not see themselves as members of a piracy subculture, however. These findings show that subcultural knowledge can be transmitted through on-line interactions, even when participants do not fully invest in the group.     

Relating mindfulness and self-control to harm to the self and to others

Aggression to others and harm to the self (self-harm) have both been associated with similar possible antecedents; however, literatures on aggression and self-harm are commonly separated. This web-based study (N = 241) aimed to explore the dynamics of self-reported mindfulness and self-control towards aggression and self-harm. As predicted, those who were more mindful and more self-controlled reported being less aggressive and self-harmless typically. Bootstrap analyses suggested that self-control mediated the link between mindfulness and general trait aggression, physical aggression, anger, hostility, and self-harm, but not verbal aggression. With the inclusion of self-control, the direct effect of mindfulness on trait aggression, anger, and hostility, but not on physical aggression and self-harm, remained significant. Self-control, therefore, may be a pertinent individual difference on the link between mindfulness and behaviours that are physically harmful to the self and to others.     

The Relationship Between Self-Control,Witnessing Domestic Violence,and Subsequent Violence

The notion that violence begets violence is well accepted. Less clear are the precise factors that link together child violence and adult violence in an individual's life course. This study examines the role that self-control has in linking together exposure to violence in a child's life and subsequent violence in that individual's life. A telephone survey with 375 residents in Southeastern Virginia was conducted. Attention is given to whether those who saw their parents fight are more likely to (1) have a low self-control and (2) report having experienced violence either as an offender or a victim. Results suggest that witnessing violence is not related to self-control, and those who witnessed violence were less likely to have subsequent experiences with partner abuse. Further, we found that low self-control has a link with partner abuse. Implications for theory, policy, and future research are provided.     

The voice of self-control: Blocking the inner voice increases impulsive responding

Philosophers and psychologists have long-debated the notion that the voice in our heads might help us to control our actions. Evidence from a number of lines of research suggests that verbal resources help us to focus attention, providing reason to believe that the inner voice might aid self-control via this capacity. In this study we explored the link between verbal resources and self-control by occupying the inner voice and then assessing behavioral indices of self-control. Participants completed regular and switching versions of the Go/No-Go task while doing verbal or spatial secondary tasks. Compared with the spatial task, doing the verbal task resulted in more impulsive responding, as indicated by a greater tendency to make a ‘Go’ response, a pattern that was accentuated in the switching version of the Go/No-Go. Our results suggest that the inner voice helps us to exert self-control by enhancing our ability to restrain our impulses.     

Performance in a computerized self-control task by rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta): The combined influence of effort and delay

The variables of delay and effort have been found to influence self-control predictably and in similar fashion when tested independently, but it is unclear how they influence self-control interactively. In the present study, I tested these two variables simultaneously to gain better understanding of their combined influence on self-control. A computerized task was employed in which monkey participants could sequence 1 or more digital images before “cashing-out,” after which they would receive their accumulated rewards. Delay was manipulated by adjusting the speed of the cursor used to select images. Cognitive effort was manipulated by presenting image sets that appeared in either a constant or a randomized configuration. For most monkeys, an interaction was found between the effects of delay and effort on the number of images selected before cashing-out. The results suggest that, when combined, these two variables have a complex influence on self-control.     

Links Between Stress, Positive and Negative Affect, and Life Satisfaction Among Teachers in Special Education Schools

This study focused on links between stress, positive and negative affect, and life satisfaction among teachers in special education schools. Teaching is a highly stressful profession, characterized by high rate of stress, burnout, and dropout. The study investigated: (a) whether teachers can maintain their positive affect and life satisfaction despite the stress they experience, and (b) the resources that may elicit positive affect and life satisfaction, including self-control as a personal skill and perceived organizational support (by peers, therapeutic staff, and manager) as an environmental resource. Participants were 125 teachers from 12 different special education schools. As expected, a positive link emerged between high stress levels and negative affect. Both self-control and organizational social support contributed to the explanation of positive affect and life satisfaction. Organizational support was found to moderate the link between stress and negative affect as well as the link between stress and positive affect and life satisfaction among teachers. The outcomes contributed both to the theoretical explanation about the role of resources in eliciting subjective well-being, happiness, and life satisfaction and also to the way teachers can be helped in daily coping with their difficulties.     

Download or stream? Steal or buy? Developing a typology of today's music consumer

This paper explores the impact that recent transformations in digital music technology (e.g. the increasing popularity of legal streaming platforms) have had on the consumer experience. Following 35 in‐depth qualitative interviews, we have identified four key segments of contemporary music consumers (steadfast pirates, ex‐downloaders, mixed tapes and the old schoolers [the disengaged]) based on a continuum of their preference for illegal music piracy. Examining key themes (e.g. morality, format, value and identity investment) to distinguish each segment, we contribute to a fragmented music piracy literature in particular through the identification of the “ex‐downloaders” and “mixed tape” segments. Previous literature has tended to frame music piracy in very simplistic terms, failing to acknowledge a large number of consumers who are conflicted about their actions and rationalise their piracy in complicated and inconsistent ways related to the broader industry and their own sense of identity as a music consumer. Additionally, the discussion of the ex‐downloader segment provides significant evidence that for a large number of consumers, a policy of participation, in the shape of providing superior alternatives for legal digital music consumption, can be much more beneficial in tackling the problem of piracy than previous strategies of policing and coercion. Managerial and future research implications are discussed. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

School Connectedness and Problematic Internet Use in Adolescents: A Moderated Mediation Model of Deviant Peer Affiliation and Self-Control

Although a growing body of research documents the negative association between school connectedness and adolescent problematic Internet use (PIU), little is known about the mediating mechanism (i.e., how school connectedness relates to PIU?) and moderating mechanism (i.e., when the protection is most potent?) underlying this relation. The present study examined whether deviant peer affiliation mediated the relationship between school connectedness and PIU, and whether this mediating process was moderated by adolescent self-control. A total of 2,758 Chinese adolescents (46 % male; mean age?=?13.53 years, SD?=?1.06) from 10 middle schools completed anonymous questionnaires regarding school connectedness, deviant peer affiliation, self-control, and PIU. After controlling for gender, age, socioeconomic status, and parental attachment, it was found that the negative association between school connectedness and adolescent PIU was partially mediated by deviant peer affiliation. Moreover, this indirect link was stronger for adolescents with low self-control than for those with high self-control. These findings underscore the importance of integrating the social control theory and organism-environment interaction model to understand how and when school connectedness impacts adolescent PIU.     

The erosive effects of racism: reduced self-control mediates the relation between perceived racial discrimination and substance use in African American adolescents

Perceived racial discrimination, self-control, anger, and either substance use or use cognitions were assessed in 2 studies conducted with samples of African American adolescents. The primary goal was to examine the relation between discrimination and self-control over time; a 2nd goal was to determine whether that relation mediates the link between discrimination and substance use found in previous research. Study 1, which included a latent growth curve analysis with 3 waves of data, indicated that experience with discrimination (from age 10 years to age 18 years) was associated with reduced self-control, which then predicted increased substance use. Additional analyses indicated anger was also a mediator of this discrimination to use relation. Study 2, which was experimental, showed that envisioning an experience involving discrimination was associated with an increase in substance-related responses to double entendre words (e.g., pot, roach) in a word association task, especially for participants who were low in dispositional self-control. The effect was again mediated by reports of anger. Thus, the "double mediation" pattern was discrimination → more anger and reduced self-control → increased substance use and/or substance cognitions. Results are discussed in terms of the long-term impact of discrimination on self-control and health behavior. Implications for interventions aimed at ameliorating the negative effects of discrimination and low self-control on health are also discussed.     

动机在特质自我控制与主观幸福感关系中的作用与影响

本研究基于调节定向理论,以476名有效被试的测量数据,从动机的作用与影响来解释特质自我控制与主观幸福感关系的争议。结果发现：尽管（1）特质自我控制与主观幸福感正相关;但（2）两者间,促进动机有部分中介作用,预防动机无显著中介作用;故（3）高自我控制者也未必有更高的主观幸福感。因此,动机是特质自我控制与主观幸福感间的重要中介因素,不同动机导向的作用是造成特质自我控制与主观幸福感关系争议的重要原因。     

自我控制对睡眠质量的影响:反刍思维与就寝拖延的中介作用

本研究主要考察了自我控制对睡眠质量的影响作用,以及反刍思维和就寝拖延的中介作用。采用相关量表对1104名大学生进行问卷调查。研究结果表明:(1)自我控制可以负向预测睡眠质量问题、反刍思维和就寝拖延。(2)自我控制还通过反刍思维和就寝拖延的单独中介及序列中介,间接影响睡眠质量。     

Is the good life characterized by self-control? Perceived regulatory success and judgments of life quality

To what extent do people view self-control as central to achieving a healthy, high-quality life? While scientific evidence strongly supports the notion that self-control is associated with successful adaptation and optimal functioning, we examine whether individuals connect this trait with positive outcomes. In Study 1, participants rated the likelihood that an individual with high self-control (or self-esteem) would experience good health and a high-quality life. Studies 2–3 experimentally portrayed a target person as high or low in self-control (and self-esteem) before participants rated the target on an array of positive outcomes. Across studies, self-control was perceived as less strongly connected with a high-quality life than self-esteem. Mediation analyses suggest that people link self-esteem (but not self-control) with healthy behaviors that, in turn, lead to superior perceived physical and psychological health. While self-esteem is strongly associated with lay concepts of the good life, the importance of self-control may be comparatively under-recognized.     

Self-control,parental crime,and discipline across three generations

The objective of this study is to examine the relationships between self-control, parental crime, and use of discipline across three generations. Data spanning 30 years from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, are analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling. This study focuses on whether different types of discipline used by parents predict the self-control of each successive generation. We also examine whether self-control and criminal activities of parents are predictive of parenting and resulting self-control of children. We find that discipline has a weak relationship to self-control but that parental crime and self-control do relate to the self-control of later generations.     

Running away from unwanted feelings: Culture matters

Findings from past research have suggested a link between experiential avoidance and expressive suppression. However, there is emerging evidence showing that the suppression of emotional expression may have different meanings depending on the specific cultural context. Taking a cultural perspective, the present study aimed to examine whether the link between experiential avoidance and expressive suppression is comparable or divergent between two cultural groups [i.e., European Americans (EAs) and Chinese (CH)] with different cultural norms surrounding emotional expression. We hypothesised that the positive association between experiential avoidance and expressive suppression typically found among EAs would be attenuated among CH. Furthermore, the observed cultural group difference in the experiential avoidance–suppression link was hypothesised to be mediated by beliefs in emotional self-control. Data from 224 EA college students and 190 CH college students provided a clear pattern of support for our hypotheses. Implications for current theories on experiential avoidance are discussed.     

The relationship between self-control and health: The mediating effect of avoidant coping

Trait self-control is related to a number of positive outcomes, including mental health, interpersonal success, academic success and health-related behaviours. This study sought to explore the relationships between self-control, reports of mental and physical health symptoms and coping styles. The results revealed that higher self-control was related to fewer mental and physical health symptoms and less avoidance coping. There was not a significant relationship between self-control and problem-focused or emotion-focused coping styles. Further, the relationships between self-control and mental and physical health outcomes were partially mediated by avoidance coping style. Specifically, the data suggest lower self-control is associated with unhealthy coping strategies (avoidance coping), which in turn are associated with worse mental health outcomes and greater reports of physical health symptoms. Thus lower trait self-control can serve as an indicator, suggesting circumstances in which individuals' tendencies to engage in unhealthy coping strategies are increased. These findings add to a growing body of literature underscoring the importance of trait self-control.