2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Self-control can be construed as a competition between two opposing forces: The motivational force that compels an impulse to be expressed in thought, feeling, or behavior (impulse strength) versus the person's inner capacity to control impulses (self-control strength). The strength model of self-control focuses exclusively on the control side of this competition, and numerous studies have found that exercising self-control temporarily reduces self-control strength. In the current chapter, we review evidence that exercising self-control also increases impulse strength, with a particular emphasis on approach-motivated impulse strength. We consider the implications of increased impulse strength for understanding the ego depletion effect and for the strength model of self-control.
