self-regulation
Pronunciation: self′reg-yū-lā′shŭn
Definition: A three-stage strategy patients are taught to use to end risky health-associated behaviors such as smoking and overeating: stage 1: self-monitoring (self-observation), the first stage in self-regulation involves the person's deliberately attending to and recording his or her own behavior; stage 2: self-evaluation, the second stage, in which the person assesses what was learned by self-monitoring, such as how often and where smoking occurred, and uses those observational data to establish health goals or criteria; and stage 3: self-reinforcement, the third stage, in which the person rewards herself or himself for each behavioral success on the road to that goal, thereby enhancing the chance of reaching it.
