Mazar, A., & Wood, W. (2018). Defining Habit in Psychology. In The Psychology of Habit (pp. 13-29). Springer, Cham.
The authors attempt to provide a succinct definition of habit from the context of psychology. The scholars argue that habits are self-serving when one has to explain why they are accustomed to doing something basing their argument on folk-psychology. In fortifying the position, Mazar and Wood further contend that people no longer acknowledge the absence of intention and behavior concerning their behavior. Thus the article opens up the discussion by introducing the concepts of agency and responsibility. Consequently, the article tends to label folk psychology as having a flexible definition of habit. For example, the definition of habit seems to justify unwanted habits while claiming responsibility for positive habits. The researchers thus elevate their claim by noting that cognitive processes steer habits just like automaticity. From the article, one thus acknowledges the need to focus on the mechanism that informs habits in individuals. Based on this premise, the scholars portend the current definition is relatively recent, and as such, it opens several possibilities for measuring and thus defining habits. The article is critical in that it gives a foundation for understanding habits in psychology and thus contributes to the current body of knowledge.
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Orbell, S., & Verplanken, B. (2018). Progress and Prospects in Habit Research. The Psychology of Habit , 397-409. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-97529-0_22
In this article, the authors focusing on the interception between the relationship between habits, goals, and motivation, measurement of habits, and how habit influences willpower and self-control. First, scholars attempt to establish the role of motivation in the process of developing a habit. The authors posit that habits may develop due to goal intentions or be informed by past aspirations. Also, a habit can be wrongly attributed to goals. Second, the study aims to ascertain whether goal autonomy is a defining aspect of habit. The findings are that habits cannot be independent of goals or aspirations. Last, the study aimed to establish whether goals are essential to subdue habits. From the study, it is apparent that goal self-regulation is an integral aspect of suppressing a habit. Concerning habit measurement, the scholars argue that there is a need to develop wide-reaching measures that can be authenticated against external indications of efficiency. The study is helpful because it helps highlight two crucial sides of habit. On one side, habits are depicted as rigid structures while, on the other hand, they are shown as useful devices. Underlying the two sides is the goal-intention aspect that forms the background of habits.
Wood, W. (2017). Habit in Personality and Social Psychology. Personality and Social Psychology Review , 21 (4), 389-403. https://doi.org/10.1177/1088868317720362
Wood is a renowned psychologist who has authored various scholarly materials in the domain of behavioral science. The author argues that contemporary social and personality psychology lacks the critical aspect of habits. Wood's viewpoint lays a foundation for the research on understanding habits as they relate to psychology and how they differ from goals and attitudes. Consequently, the study culminates in the identification of new insights about social behavior. The perceptions illuminate on aspects such as self-regulation, behavior change, relationships, and self-inferences about behavior. Wood argues that understanding of habits will be an eye-opener to other areas of psychology. The researcher supports this claim by providing an example that the theory of mind encompasses concepts of habit as well as the pursuit of goals. Further, the study makes a connection between habits and relationships whereby the latter are exemplified as behavioral exchanges. Hence, the author posits that such a relationship indicates social interaction between members of a group. The article is relevant because it details habits in the psychology domain and how the knowledge could magnify the research on the relationship between behavior and goals.
References
Mazar, A., & Wood, W. (2018). Defining Habit in Psychology. In The Psychology of Habit (pp. 13-29). Springer, Cham.
Orbell, S., & Verplanken, B. (2018). Progress and Prospects in Habit Research. The Psychology of Habit , 397-409. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-97529-0_22
Wood, W. (2017). Habit in Personality and Social Psychology. Personality and Social Psychology Review , 21 (4), 389-403. https://doi.org/10.1177/1088868317720362
