Sensitivity to punishment and self-control: the mediating role of emotion

Past research has found that high sensitivity to punishment is associated with a vulnerability to experience negative emotions (Carver & White, 1994) and lowered self-control (Segarra, Molto, & Torrubia, 2000). Separate lines of research have found that negative emotions may contribute to a loss of self-control (Tice, Bratslavsky, & Baumeister, 2001). Two studies were conducted to test whether vulnerability to and current experience of emotional distress mediates this relationship between sensitivity to punishment and self-control. In Study 1, neuroticism (vulnerability to emotional distress) served as a mediator in the relationship between sensitivity to punishment and self-control, such that sensitivity to punishment led to neuroticism, which, in turn, negatively affected self-control behavior. In Study 2, which replicated and extended Study 1, depression and anxiety (current emotional distress) mediated the relationship between sensitivity to punishment and self-control. These findings help account for the diminished self-control observed in individuals high in sensitivity to punishment and provide support for a mechanism underlying self-control failure.