The Agentic Self: Self-Control, Rational Choice, and Free Will
Roy Baumeister
The self has been well studied and understood as a knowledge structure (self-concept)
and interpersonal entity, but its agentic function has been less well understood. This talk
provides an overview of this aspect of self, including self-regulation and decision
making. Popular conceptions of free will correspond to this important aspect of the self.
Evidence from various laboratory studies suggest that self-control and rational choice are
vital, interrelated functions of the human self that are biologically expensive but enable
the person to function in complex social and cultural environments.