Discipline

Self-control

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For other uses, see Discipline (disambiguation).

Discipline is the self-control that is gained by requiring that rules or orders be obeyed, and the ability to keep working at something that is difficult.[1] Disciplinarians believe that such self-control is of the utmost importance and enforce a set of rules that aim to develop such behavior. Such enforcement is sometimes based on punishment, although there is a clear difference between the two. One way to convey such differences is through the root meaning of each word: discipline means "to teach", while punishment means "to correct or cause pain". Punishment may extinguish unwanted behavior in the moment, but is ineffective long-term; discipline, by contrast, includes the process of training self control.[2][3]

## Self-discipline

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Self-discipline refers to one's ability to control one's behavior and actions to achieve a goal or to maintain a certain standard of conduct. It is the ability to train oneself to do things that should be done and resist things that should be avoided. This includes setting goals, staying focused, and making sacrifices to those goals. Self-discipline requires practice and effort, but it can lead to improved productivity, better decision-making, and greater success in life.[4]

Self-discipline can also be defined as the ability to give up immediate pleasures for long-term goals (deferred gratification).[5] Discipline is grounded in the ability to leave one's comfort zone. Habit is about wanting to change for the better, not for pain. To forego or sacrifice immediate pleasure requires thought and focused discipline. Self-discipline is about one's ability to control their desires and impulses to keep themselves focused on what needs to get done to successfully achieve a goal.[6] It is about taking small, consistent steps of daily action to build a strong set of disciplined habits that fulfill your objectives. One trains themselves to follow rules and standards that help determine, coalesce, and line up one's thoughts and actions with the task at hand.[6] Small acts allow one to achieve greater goals. The key component of self-discipline is the trait of perseverance.[7] Daily choices accumulate to produce changes one wants the most, despite obstacles. Self-discipline, determination, and perseverance are similar to grit.

Discipline is about internal and external consistencies. One must decide on what is right from wrong (internal consistency) and adhere to external regulation, which is to have compliance with rules (external consistency).[8] Discipline is used to "expend some effort" to do something one does not feel motivated to do.[9] Discipline is an action that completes, furthers, or solidifies a goal, not merely one's thoughts and feelings. An action conforms to a value. In other words, one allows values to determine one's own choices.

Self-discipline may prevent procrastination.[10] People regret things they have not done compared to things they have done.[11][12][13] When one procrastinates, they spend time on things that avoid a goal. Procrastination is not always caused by laziness or relaxation.[14] One can procrastinate due to failure or inability to learn.[15]

### Habits

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A life-changing habit enhances health, working life, and quality of life. Habits are established in three stages:[16]

1. Trigger (the thing that initiates the behavior)
2. Behavior (the action one takes)
3. Reward (the benefit one gains from doing the behavior)

To effectively utilize this three-step process, it is essential to recognize emotional triggers and maintain a consistent reward. Identifying one's emotional responses helps pinpoint behavioral patterns that prompt learned routines and outcomes. These patterns might hinder goal achievement. Transforming these responses involves finding alternative ways to fulfill emotional needs and adopting preferred behaviors. Discovering the required emotional state requires effort, as does establishing new, healthier habits that satisfy one's needs.

There are connections between motivation, self-discipline, and habits:[17]

> Motivation is the initial emotional drive or inspiration to help one develop one's goals and actions.

> When motivation begins to waver, it is a self-discipline that makes one continue despite one's emotions and thoughts.

> Over time, self-discipline diminishes as one's behaviors and actions become habits.[citation needed]

It takes two months for a new habit to form, according to research by Phillippa Lally and colleagues.[18] Making a mistake has no measurable impact on any long-term habits.[19][20] Habit-making is a process and not an event.

When one is developing habits to overcome impulses that represent easy paths to short-term gratification, they need control over their mind.[21] Gaining control over one's minds, and taking a proactive approach, enables them to navigate challenges without becoming overly fixated on failure, financial strains, or anxiety. Mental anxiety, in particular, can contribute to heightened sensitivity to our surroundings, possibly leading to unnecessary alarmism.[22] Chronic stress can be detrimental to the development of the executive function, and may make us perceive problems where they do not exist, as outnumbering the solutions, according to Hauser-Cram Heyman.[22][23]

Brett McKay recommends to focus on one's circle of influence—what one can control—rather than one's own sphere of concern, which encompasses things beyond one's control. Self-discipline can be as straightforward as tackling a challenging task before bedtime or during other moments of the day; it is about carving out a portion of one's day to cultivate self-discipline.[24] It involves resisting the temptation of opting for the easiest route (primitive urges) to achieve long-term goals.

A person's actions are a product of one's ability to control themselves, both positively and negatively. Habits are automatic mechanisms that conserve one's willpower energy. About 40% of a person's actions are driven by programmed habits.[25][26][27][28] The longer one holds to bad habits, the more difficult it is to break free from them.[29] As one resists temptations, one's desires get stronger.[30]

Choices often involve a trade-off between with short-term pleasure in exchange for long-term pain (immediate gratification) or short-term pain and long-term pleasure (delayed gratification).[31] Discipline entails executing habits precisely as intended, enhancing the likelihood of accomplishment and overcoming competing behaviors. Acting promptly exemplifies discipline, while habits are built on preparedness and inclination. This requires a suitable level of buffering against competing behaviors.

There are three ways to learn to build discipline, according to Sam Thomas Davies:[31]

* self-assessment

Determine the underlying reason for requiring discipline. Address resistance by identifying its source and counteracting it through commitment instead of making excuses or yielding to peer pressure.

* self-awareness

Learn why oneself does not break their habits, mostly due to a lack of awareness about the ease of succumbing to impulses rather than staying committed. A remedy is to eliminate any distractions.

* self-celebration

Celebrate and reward daily accomplishments, even if one fails to live up to one's expectations. Each outcome provides an opportunity for learning and growth.

There are two types of goals: active and passive.[32] Passive goals are ideas, while active goals are concrete plans with specific measures and steps. This includes setting long-term objectives and planning daily tasks. Creating active goals provides direction and helps prevent distractions by outlining precisely what needs to be done.

### In religion

[edit]

Self-discipline is an important principle in several religious systems. For example, in Buddhist ethics as outlined in the Noble Eightfold Path, both Right View and Right Mindfulness have been described as a moral discipline.[33][full citation needed]

For some varieties of Christian ethics, virtues directed by the Beatitudes were preceded by ascetical theology and obedience-based discipline. This shift transformed the focus from the Gifts of the Holy Spirit to one of authority, which, though blessed, did not carry the same happiness as that derived from adherence and observances. During the Middle Ages, spirituality and morality were closely intertwined.[34] The Beatitudes gained prominence as an organizational principle after Saint Augustine. However, Christian ethics as a form of discipline did not fully emerge until the Late Middle Ages. Alongside Lutheranism and the post-Enlightenment era, obedience-based discipline coexists.[35] According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, "[t]he object, the intention, and the circumstances make up the three 'sources' of the morality of human acts."[36] The Holy Spirit is essential for comprehending "the eternal Word of the living God, [and] must... open (our) minds to understand the Scriptures."[37]

Self-discipline is how self-control is gained, and the way hope is maintained.[38]

## Self-control

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Main article: Self-control

Gaining self-control involves managing reactions. External events or outcomes in one's life can never be controlled, yet reactions and attitudes can.[8]

Maintaining a disciplined mind leads to effective reactions. Firstly, boredom can be created if one is not occupied. Secondly, lack of discipline may cause problems for social, mental, and academic performance, as excessive worry about future events consumes time. Thirdly, discipline helps preserve peace and order. Lastly, the disciplined person understands the consequences of their actions.[citation needed]

Self-control includes avoiding impulsivity, eating disorders, and addictive behaviors.[39] Overcoming such tendencies is an initial step for personal improvement. The ability to regulate one's emotions and behavior is a key component of the brain's executive function that helps to plan, monitor, and attain goals. Succumbing to immediate impulses hinders both internal growth and external impact. Self-control entails resisting certain actions, whereas discipline involves adopting routines to cultivate positive habits. Self-control means effective decision-making amid competing choices, while discipline fosters the accumulation of habits to bolster success; thus, self-control and discipline may overlap. Anyone can benefit from healthy habits and can take measures to control their behavior.

Four strategies are:

* situation selection, avoiding situations where one will be likely to confront temptations
* situation modification, doing what one can to reduce the pull of the temptation in the situation that arises
* distraction, trying to distract oneself with better alternatives
* reappraisal, changing the way one thinks about a bad habit[40]

## Child discipline

[edit]

This section is an excerpt from Child discipline.[edit]

Child discipline is the methods used to prevent future unwanted behaviour in children. The word discipline is defined as imparting knowledge and skill, in other words, to teach.[41] In its most general sense, discipline refers to systematic instruction given to a disciple. To discipline means to instruct a person to follow a particular code of conduct.[42]

Discipline is used by parents to teach their children about expectations, guidelines and principles. Child discipline can involve rewards and punishments to teach self-control, increase desirable behaviors and decrease undesirable behaviors.[43] While the purpose of child discipline is to develop and entrench desirable social habits in children, the ultimate goal is to foster particular judgement and morals so the child develops and maintains self-discipline throughout the rest of their life.

Because the values, beliefs, education, customs and cultures of people vary so widely, along with the age and temperament of the child, methods of child discipline also vary widely. Child discipline is a topic that draws from a wide range of interested fields, such as parenting, the professional practice of behavior analysis, developmental psychology, social work, and various religious perspectives. In recent years, advances in the understanding of attachment parenting have provided a new background of theoretical understanding and advanced clinical and practical understanding of the effectiveness and outcome of parenting methods.

There has been debate in recent years over the use of corporal punishment for children in general, and increased attention to the concept of "positive parenting" where desirable behavior is encouraged and rewarded.[44] The goal of positive discipline is to teach, train and guide children so that they learn, practice self-control and develop the ability to manage their emotions, and make desired choices regarding their personal behavior.[45]

Cultural differences exist among many forms of child discipline. Shaming is a form of discipline and behavior modification. Children raised in different cultures experience discipline and shame in various ways.[citation needed] This generally depends on whether the society values individualism or collectivism.

### Positive discipline

[edit]

This section is an excerpt from Positive discipline.[edit]

Positive discipline is a discipline model used by some schools and in parenting that focuses on the positive points of behavior. It is based on the idea that there are no bad children, just good and bad behaviors. Practitioners of positive discipline believe that good behavior can be taught and reinforced while weaning bad behaviors without hurting the child verbally or physically. People engaging in positive discipline believe that they are not ignoring problems but dealing with the problem differently by helping the child learn how to handle situations more appropriately while remaining kind to the children themselves.

Positive behavior support (PBS) is a structured, open-ended model that many parents and schools follow. It promotes positive decision making, teaching expectations to children early, and encouraging positive behaviors.[46]

Positive discipline is in contrast to negative discipline. Negative discipline may involve angry, destructive, or violent responses to inappropriate behavior. In terms used by psychology research, positive discipline uses the full range of reinforcement and punishment options:

* Positive reinforcement, such as complimenting a good effort;
* Negative reinforcement, such as removing undesired or non-preferred stimuli;
* Positive punishment, such as requiring a child to clean up a mess they made; and
* Negative punishment, such as removing a privilege in response to poor behavior.

However, unlike negative discipline, it does all of these things in a kind, encouraging, and firm manner. The focus of positive discipline is to establish reasonable limits and guide children to take responsibility to stay within these limits, or learn how to remedy the situation when they do not.

## School discipline

[edit]

This section is an excerpt from School discipline.[edit]

A Harper's Weekly cover from 1898 shows a caricature of school discipline. This Punishment Book, from the school attended by Henry Lawson, is one of the earliest surviving examples of this type of record.

School discipline relates to actions taken by teachers or school organizations toward students when their behavior disrupts the ongoing educational activity or breaks a rule created by the school. Discipline can guide the children's behavior or set limits to help them learn to take better care of themselves, other people and the world around them.[47]

School systems set rules, and if students break these rules they are subject to discipline. These rules may, for example, define the expected standards of school uniforms, punctuality, social conduct, and work ethic. The term "discipline" is applied to the action that is the consequence of breaking the rules. The aim of discipline is to set limits restricting certain behaviors or attitudes that are seen as harmful or against school policies, educational norms, school traditions, etc.[47] The focus of discipline is shifting, and alternative approaches are emerging due to notably high dropout rates, disproportionate punishment upon minority students, and other educational inequalities.[citation needed]

## See also

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* Conformity – Matching opinions and behaviors to group norms
* Deindividuation – Concept in social psychology
* Diligence – Carefulness and persistent effort or work
* Discipline (BDSM) – BDSM practice
* Disinhibition – Lack of restraint
* Domestic discipline (disambiguation)
* Enkrateia (self-control) – Virtuous self-control
* Military discipline – Obedience to a military code of conduct
* Norm (social) – Informal understanding of acceptable conductPages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets
* Obedience – Yielding to instructions from an authority figurePages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets
* Rigour – Adhering absolutely to certain constraints with consistency
* Work ethic – Belief in the virtues of labor

## References

[edit]

Look up discipline in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Wikiquote has quotations related to Discipline.

1. ^ "Discipline Definition & Meaning | Britannica Dictionary". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2024-05-07.
2. ^ "Positive Parenting: Discipline vs. Punishment | Psychology Today". www.psychologytoday.com. Retrieved 2024-05-07.
3. ^ Sege, Robert; Siegel, Benjamin (2018-12-01). "Effective Discipline to Raise Healthy Children". Pediatrics. 142 (6). American Academy of Pediatrics: 83–93\. doi:10.1542/peds.2018-3112. Retrieved 2025-02-17.
4. ^ Gleeson, Brent. "9 Powerful Ways To Cultivate Extreme Self-Discipline". Forbes. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
5. ^ Simons, Ilana (15 July 2009). "The Difference Between Habit and Discipline". PsychologyToday. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
6. ^ a b Sicinski, Adam (18 August 2015). "The Complete Guide on How to Develop Focused Self-Discipline". blog iqmatrix. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
7. ^ "How to Discipline Yourself With 10 Habits". wanderlustworker. 18 August 2019. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
8. ^ a b "What is the importance of discipline in life?". DigitalClassWorld. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
9. ^ Carpenter, Erin (26 October 2018). "Why Discipline is More Important than Motivation". thrivecounselingdenver. Retrieved 13 September 2021.
10. ^ Levi, Jonathan. "Rory Vaden on self-discipline procrastination and multiplying your time podcast". superhumanacademy. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
11. ^ Butthole Surfers, "Sweat Loaf" Locust Abortion Technician (1987)
12. ^ Roese, Neal J.; Summerville, Amy (September 2005). "What We Regret Most... and Why". Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. 31 (9): 1273–1285\. doi:10.1177/0146167205274693. hdl:2374.MIA/4408. PMC 2394712. PMID 16055646. S2CID 19939054.
13. ^ Yeung, Siu Kit; Feldman, Gilad (2022). "Revisiting the Temporal Pattern of Regret in Action Versus Inaction: Replication of Gilovich and Medvec (1994) With Extensions Examining Responsibility". Collabra: Psychology. 8 (1). doi:10.1525/collabra.37122.
14. ^ "What is Procrastination". procrastination. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
15. ^ Ganesan; et al. (2014). "Procrastination and the 2 x 2 achievement goal framework in Malaysian undergraduate students" (PDF). Psychology in the Schools. 51 (5): 506–516\. doi:10.1002/pits.21760.[dead link]
16. ^ Bartlett, Ryan (2 February 2017). "Self Discipline—The biggest lie ever told". visionpersonaltraining. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
17. ^ Gene, David (24 December 2018). "The Synergy of Motivation, Discipline, and Habits". healthfitnessandmore. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
18. ^

* Clear, James (6 March 2014). "How Long Does it Take to Form a New Habit? (Backed by Science)". jamesclear. Retrieved 13 September 2021.
* Lally, Phillippa; van Jaarsveld, Cornelia H. M.; Potts, Henry W. W.; Wardle, Jane (16 July 2009). "How are habits formed: Modelling habit formation in the real world". European Journal of Social Psychology. 40 (6). Wiley: 998–1009\. doi:10.1002/ejsp.674. hdl:10400.12/3364. ISSN 0046-2772. S2CID 15466675.

19. ^ Clear, James (7 November 2014). "How to Change Your Beliefs and Stick to Your Goals for Good". JamesClear.com. Retrieved 23 January 2024.
20. ^ Clear, James (2014-03-06). "How Long Does it Actually Take to Form a New Habit? (Backed by Science)". James Clear. Retrieved 2024-11-30.
21. ^ Wojcik, Chris (14 September 2021). "This Single Habit Took My Discipline to the Next Level". Medium. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
22. ^ a b Brett, Kate, McKay (18 April 2021). "The 7 Habits: Be Proactive, Not Reactive". artofmanliness. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
23. ^ Heyman, M.; Hauser-Cram, P. (6 January 2015). "Negative life events predict performance on an executive function task in young adults with developmental disabilities". Journal of Intellectual Disability Research. 59 (8). Wiley: 746–754\. doi:10.1111/jir.12181. ISSN 0964-2633. PMID 25559271.
24. ^ Wojcik, Chris (17 September 2021). "This Single Habit Took My Discipline to the Next Level". ChrisMWojcik Substack. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
25. ^ "The World Counts". www.theworldcounts.com. Retrieved 2 February 2024.
26. ^ "How we form habits, change existing ones". ScienceDaily. Retrieved 2 February 2024.
27. ^ Verplanken, Bas; Wood, Wendy (April 2006). "Interventions to Break and Create Consumer Habits". Journal of Public Policy & Marketing. 25 (1): 90–103\. doi:10.1509/jppm.25.1.90.
28. ^ MS, Derrick Price (9 May 2017). "The 6-Step Approach for Creating New Habits". IDEA Health & Fitness Association. Retrieved 2 February 2024.
29. ^ Stark, Ako (19 July 2019). "How to Discipline Yourself With 10 Habits". Medium. Retrieved 18 September 2021.
30. ^ "Indistractable by Nir Eya". SemiSentientSentinel. 29 August 2021. Retrieved 18 September 2021.
31. ^ a b Davies, Sam Thomas (22 January 2015). "Habits Aren't Enough. You Need Discipline As Well". ThoughtCatalog. Retrieved 21 September 2021.
32. ^ "Five Keystone Habits to Help you achieve anything in your life". wanderlustworker. 27 October 2014. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
33. ^ Bodhi (2005), p. 153.
34. ^ Bouchard, Charles E. "What Is "Prudential Personalism"? Why Does It Matter?". chausa.org. Catholic Health Association of the United States. Retrieved 18 May 2019.
35. ^ According to the Qur'an of the muslim, "[t]he discipline is maintain with respect to time(follow the time management), obedience to rules and obeying and respecting to the elders. "
36. ^ "Catechism of the Catholic Church". Libreria Editrice Vaticana. ¶1757.
37. ^ "Catechism of the Catholic Church". Libreria Editrice Vaticana. par. ¶108.
38. ^ "1 Peter 1:16: Christians God-like Men, The duty and discipline of Christian hope". biblehub.com. Retrieved 18 May 2019. "Hope follows desire. The vigour of our hopes is affected by the warmth of our desires. The warmth of our desires towards the future depends largely on the turning away of our desires from the present."
39. ^ "Self-Control". PsychologyToday. Retrieved 22 September 2021.
40. ^ McQuillan, Susan. "4 Ways to Avoid Temptation and Reach Your Goals". PsychologyToday. Retrieved 22 September 2021.
41. ^ Nieman, P.; Shea, S. (2004). "Effective discipline for children". Paediatrics & Child Health. 9 (1). Canadian Paediatric Society: 37–41\. doi:10.1093/pch/9.1.37. PMC 2719514. PMID 19654979.
42. ^ Papalia, D.E.; Wendkos-Olds, S.; Duskin-Feldman, R. (2006). A Child's World: Infancy Through Adolescence (10th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.
43. ^ Smenyak, Sarah. "The difference between discipline and child abuse". Demand Media. Retrieved 29 November 2012.
44. ^ "Encouraging better behavior - A practical guide to positive parenting" (PDF). NSPCC. 2003. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 October 2007. Retrieved 25 March 2008.
45. ^ "Positive discipline: Punishment vs. discipline". MSU Extension. Retrieved 16 September 2018.
46. ^ "Madison Metropolitan School District Student Conduct and Discipline Plan" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
47. ^ a b "What is Discipline?". users.metu.edu.tr. Retrieved May 17, 2016.

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