The Effects of Construal Level on Interpersonal Self-Control Conflicts

Abstract

Construal Level Theory describes the relationship between psychological distance and the extent to which a person's thinking is abstract or concrete. According to this theory, the relationship between temporal distance and level of abstractness should have an effect on how soon a task is completed. Previous studies have found that there is a negative correlation between construal level and self-control where high-level construal (abstract thinking) shows implications of poor self-control. People in high-level construal view events in a more distant manner, which leads to better ability to control impulses (Trope & Liberman, 2010). The present study examined the relationship between construal level and procrastination. Procrastination is defined as the absence of self-control in response to an impulse. Using Amazon Mechanical Turk, participants were asked to complete a procrastination scale that measured procrastination habits and a behavioral identification scale that measured construal level. In a correlation analysis of the mean procrastination score and the mean behavioral identification score, we found a positive correlation between construal level and procrastination. The relationship was opposite of what was expected. It is hoped that this study will further the research on construal level and procrastination behaviors.