self-regulation.

1. The monitoring and adjustment of one’s thoughts, emotions or behavior in relation to goals or standards.

2. A system’s adjustment of its own operation through internal processes rather than external direction.

3. The setting and enforcement of standards by a group for its own members rather than solely by an external authority.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• emotional self-regulation
• self-regulation of learning

On the page

The exercise supported self-regulation by helping students notice when their attention drifted.

Her self-regulation allowed her to postpone the reply until she could state the objection clearly.

Usage notes

Primary category: psychology / character / human behavior. Forms: Usually uncountable. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Writing functions: characterization, motivation, interpersonal behavior, self-evaluation. Disciplines: psychology, human behavior, character writing. Commonness: moderately common.