Self-Control - Week 10

Have a quiet and strong mind. That’s my motto for climbing and for life.

-Ashima Shiraishi

For an in-depth overview of each weekly slide presentation, please skip below to your specific grade level.

• To see the 1-page Self-Control Character Card and share it with your students’ families, click here.

• For the P2 Reflection Journals, used by all elementary students at the end of the week, click here.

Starting Monday, and lasting for two weeks, Partner Schools nationwide will begin learning about self-control. This is the act of managing behavior in a way that positively influences goal attainment and living up to standards. Self-control does not mean “indifference”. It is not a lack of thoughts, feelings, or impulses; it just means you have command over them. Those who exemplify this strength have the ability to experience and navigate difficulty while remaining poised. They understand that through discipline and restraint, there are greater, long-term goals that they can accomplish. Self-control is related to prudence, in that people with this strength are able to implement extended planning techniques in pursuit of difficult task completion.

For an example of self-control, please watch the below video about how Ashima Shiraishi, one of the world’s best climbers, maintains her poise while climbing and in life.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJ2EM0WwrM0

So, why does self-control matter?

For individuals, self-control helps them delay the short-term gain in pursuit of a greater, long-term success. This strength is associated with having an “internal locus of control;” of being in control of (and responsible for) your own personal choices – and the outcomes of those choices. It gives people the power to diet, study for an exam, or practice a musical instrument. Some psychologists have likened self-control to a muscle: it gets stronger the more it’s used.

A group’s ability to demonstrate self-control often appears in the form of “self-monitoring.” This means that individuals demonstrate honesty with one another about successful group practices. When things are unsuccessful, group members have the ability to adjust roles in the interest of overall group success. It’s a crucial strength in our modern society and its mentality of impulsivity and consumption.

And, as a reminder, you can find all of our weekly slide presentations on our website’s Resources page. Enjoy the slides — and please be sure to let us know how it’s going by posting to Twitter and using the #PositivityInAction hashtag!