Self-Control Demand Affects Procrastination: Moderated by Proactive Behavior and Perceived Social Support From Educators and Lecturers in Higher Education Institutions
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.12928/ijemi.v6i3.13765Keywords:
Educators and Lecturers, Proactive Behavior, Procrastination, Self Control Demands, Social SupportAbstract
Background. This study aims to examine: (1) the impact of self-control demands on procrastination, (2) the moderating role of proactive behavior in weakening the positive relationship between self-control demands and procrastination, and (3) the moderating effect of perceived social support on the influence of self-control demands on procrastination. The research subjects consisted of the academic community, specifically educators and lecturers in higher education institutions.
Methods. Primary data were collected using a purposive sampling method, involving 190 respondents, and analyzed using the Partial Least Squares (PLS) approach within Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) with the Warp-PLS 8.0 software.
Results. The findings reveal that, contrary to some theoretical expectations, higher self-control demands are significantly associated with lower levels of procrastination. Furthermore, the analysis uncovers significant and complex moderation effects. A unique and counterintuitive finding emerged regarding proactive behavior, which positively moderated the relationship. This indicates that for highly proactive individuals, the pressure of high self-control demands is linked to increased procrastination, potentially because their high personal standards and initiative lead to greater psychological resource depletion. Perceived social support also demonstrated a significant, though similarly complex, positive moderating effect, suggesting that it may weaken the beneficial impact of self-control.
Conclusion. These findings yield critical practical implications. Rather than simply encouraging proactivity, higher education institutions must provide resources to manage the associated psychological strain. It is recommended that institutions implement structured, task-oriented support systems, such as formal mentorship, and design workload management policies that prevent excessive self-control demands, thereby preserving educator well-being and reducing procrastination.
References
Almassy, Z., Pek, G., Papp, G., & Greenglass, E. R. (2014). The psychometric properties of the Hungarian version of the Proactive Coping Inventory: Reliability, construct validity, and factor structure. International Journal of Psychology and Psychological Therapy, 14(1), 115-124.
Bateman, T. S., & Crant, J. M. (1993). The proactive component of organizational behavior: A measure and correlates. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 14(2), 103-118.
Baumeister, R.F., Vohs, K.D., & Tice, D.M. (2007). The strength model of self-control. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 16, 351–355.
Chun Chu, A. H., & Choi, J. N. (2005). Rethinking procrastination: Positive effects of" active" procrastination behavior on attitudes and performance. The Journal of Social Psychology, 145(3), 245-264.
Cooper, D. R., & Schindler, P. S. (2014). Business Research Methods. In Proceedings of the Annual Reliability and Maintainability Symposium (12th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill/Irwin.
Cohen, S., & Wills, T. A. (1985). Stress, social support, and the buffering hypothesis. Psychological bulletin, 98(2), 310.
Ferrari, J. R. (2004). “Trait procrastination in academic settings: an overview of students who engage in task delay,” in Counseling the Procrastinator in Academic Settings, eds H. C. Schouwenburg, C. H. Lay, T. A. Pychyl, and J. R. Ferrari (Washington, DC: American Psychological Association), 19–27.
Ferrari, J. R., & Díaz-Morales, J. F. (2014). Procrastination and mental health coping: A brief report related to students. Individual Differences Research, 12(1), 8-11.
Ferrari, J. R., & Emmons, R. A. (1995). Methods of procrastination and their relation to self-control and self-reinforcement: An exploratory study. Journal of Social Behavior and Personality, 10(1), 135
Freeman, E., Cox-Fuenzalida, L., & Stoltenberg, I. (2011). Extraversion and arousal procrastination: Waiting for the kicks. Current Psychology, 30(4), 375-382.
Fredrick, S. S., Demaray, M. K., Malecki, C. K., & Dorio, N. B. (2018). Can social support buffer the association between depression and suicidal ideation in adolescent boys and girls?. Psychology in the Schools, 55(5), 490-505
Greenglass, E. R. (2002). Proactive coping and quality of life management.
Grunschel, C., Patrzek, J., & Fries, S. (2013a). Exploring reasons and consequences of academic procrastination: An interview study. European Journal of Psychology of Education, 28, 841–861.
Gupta, R., Hershey, D., & Gaur, J. (2012). Time perspective and procrastination in the workplace: An empirical investigation. Current Psychology, 31(2), 195-211.
Hair, J. F., Black, W. C., Babin, B. J., & Anderson, R. E. (2014). Multivariate Data Analysis: Pearson New International Edition (7th ed.). Pearson Education Limited.
Hair, J. F. J., Hult, G. T. M., Ringle, C., & Sarstedt, M. (2014). A Primer on Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). Long Range Planning (Vol. 46).
Halbesleben, J.B.; Paustian-Underdal, S.C.; Westman, M (2014). “Getting to the 'COR': Understanding the Role of Resources in Conservation of Resources Theory”. Journal of Management. 40 (5): 1334–1364.
Hobfoll, S. E. (1989). Conservation of resources: A new attempt at conceptualizing stress. American psychologist, 44(3), 513.
Hobfoll, S. E., Halbesleben, J., Neveu, J. P., & Westman, M. (2018). Conservation of resources in the organizational context: The reality of resources and their consequences. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 5, 103-128.
Iber, C. E. (2017). Procrastination at Work. (Doctoral Dissertation, Uniwien).
Ito, J.K., & Brotheridge, C.M. (2003). Resources, coping strategies, and emotional exhaustion: A conservation of resources perspective. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 63(3), 490-509.
Klingsieck, K. (2013). Procrastination: when good things don’t come to those who wait. Eur. Psychol. 18, 24–34.
Klingsieck, K. B., Grund, A., Schmid, S., & Fries, S. (2013). Why students procrastinate: A qualitative approach. Journal of College Student Development, 54(4), 397-412.
Kock, N. (2018). WarpPLS User Manual Version 6.0 (6th ed.). Laredo, Texas: ScriptWarp System.
Lay, C. H. (1986). At last, my research article on procrastination. Journal of research in personality, 20(4), 474-495.
Muraven, M., & Baumeister, R. F. (2000). Self-regulation and depletion of limited resources: Does self-control resemble a muscle? Psychological Bulletin, 126(2), 247-259.
Oude Rengerink, K. (2016). The influences of self-control demands and education on burnout and work engagement (Master's thesis, University of Twente).
Patrzek, J., Grunschel, C., & Fries, S. (2012). Academic procrastination: The perspective of university counsellors. International Journal for the Advancement of Counselling, 34, 185–201.
Prem, R., Kubicek, B., Diestel, S., & Korunka, C. (2016). Regulatory job stressors and their within-person relationships with ego depletion: The roles of state anxiety, self-control effort, and job autonomy. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 92, 22-32.
Rothblum, E. D., Solomon, L. J., & Murakami, J. (1986). Affective, cognitive, and behavioral differences between high and low procrastinators. Journal of counseling psychology, 33(4), 387.
Rozental, A., & Carlbring, P. (2014). Understanding and Treating Procrastination: A Review of a Common Self-Regulatory Failure. Psychology, 5, 1488-1502.
Sarason, I. G., Levine, H. M., Basham, R. B., & Sarason, B. R. (1983). Assessing social support: the social support questionnaire. Journal of personality and social psychology, 44(1), 127.
Sarason, I. G., Sarason, B. R., Potter, E. H., & Antoni, M. H. (1985). Life events, social support, and illness. Psychosomatic Medicine, 47, 156-163.
Schmidt, K. H., & Diestel, S. (2012). The relation of self‐control demands to job strain: The moderating role of organisational commitment. Applied Psychology, 61(3), 479-497.
Schmidt, K. H., & Neubach, B. (2007). Self-control demands: A source of stress at work. International Journal of Stress Management, 14(4), 398.
Schmidt, K. H., & Diestel, S. (2013). Selbstkontrolle: Kosten und Nutzen in unterschiedlichen Settings. [Self-control: Costs and benefits in different settings] In P. Genkova, T. Ringeisen, & F. T. L. Leong (Eds.), Handbuch Stress und Kultur: Interkulturelle und kulturvergleichende Perspektiven [Manual stress and culture: Cross-cultural and cultural-comparative perspectives] (pp. 139-150). Wiesbaden: Springer.
Schwarzer, R., & Taubert, S. (2002). Tenacious goal pursuits and striving toward personal growth: Proactive coping. In Beyond coping: Meeting goals, visions and challenges (pp. 19-35).
Sirois, F. M. (2014a). Out of sight, out of time? A meta-analytic investigation of procrastination and time perspective. European Journal of Personality, 28, 511–520.
Stanton, P., & Stanton, J. (2002). Corporate annual reports: research perspectives used. Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, 15(4), 478-500.
Solomon, L. J., & Rothblum, E. D. (1984). Academic procrastination: Frequency and cognitive-behavioral correlates. Journal of counseling psychology, 31(4), 503.
Skowronski, M., & Mirowska, A. (2013). A manager's guide to workplace procrastination. SAM Advanced Management Journal, 78(3), 4.
Spada, M. M., Hiou, K., & Nikcevic, A. V. (2006). Metacognitions, emotions, and procrastination. Journal of cognitive psychotherapy, 20(3), 319.
Tangney, J. P., Baumeister, R. F., & Boone, A. L. (2004). High self‐control predicts good adjustment, less pathology, better grades, and interpersonal success. Journal of personality, 72(2), 271-324.
Tice, D. M., & Baumeister, R. F. (1997). Longitudinal study of procrastination, performance, stress, and health: The costs and benefits of dawdling. Psychological Science, 8, 454–458.
Thorndike, E. L. (1927). The law of effect. The American journal of psychology, 39(1/4), 212-222.
Van Eerde, W. (2003). A meta-analytically derived nomological network of procrastination. Personality and individual differences, 35(6), 1401-1418.
Wang, P., Wang, X., Wu, Y., Xie, X., Wang, X., Zhao, F., Ouyang, & Lei, L. (2018). Social networking sites addiction and adolescent depression: A moderated mediation model of rumination and self-esteem. Personality and Individual Differences, 127, 162-167.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Muhammad Ikhsan Alif, Irma Fitria, Selvian Handayani, Muhammad Afdelpiero Hidayat, Masayu Sitti Nur Syabina
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
The copyright to this article is transferred to Universitas Ahmad Dahlan (UAD) if and when the article is accepted for publication. The undersigned hereby transfers any rights in and to the paper including without limitation all copyrights to UAD. The undersigned hereby represents and warrants that the paper is original and that he/she is the author of the paper, except for material that is identified as to its source, with permission notices from the copyright owners where required. The undersigned represents that he/she has the power and authority to make and execute this assignment.
We declare that:
This paper has not been published in the same form elsewhere.
It will not be submitted anywhere else for publication before acceptance/rejection by this Journal.
Copyright permission is obtained for materials published elsewhere and which require this permission for reproduction.
Furthermore, I/We hereby transfer the unlimited rights of publication of the above-mentioned paper in whole to UAD. The copyright transfer covers the exclusive right to reproduce and distribute the article, including reprints, translations, photographic reproductions, microform, electronic form (offline, online), or any other reproductions of similar nature.
The corresponding author signs for and accepts responsibility for releasing this material on behalf of any and all co-authors. This agreement is to be signed by at least one of the authors who have obtained the assent of the co-author(s) where applicable. After submission of this agreement signed by the corresponding author, changes of authorship or in the order of the authors listed will not be accepted.
Retained Rights/Terms and Conditions
Authors retain all proprietary rights in any process, procedure, or article of manufacture described in the Work.
Authors may reproduce or authorize others to reproduce the Work or derivative works for the authors' personal use or for company use, provided that the source and the UAD copyright notice are indicated, the copies are not used in any way that implies UAD endorsement of a product or service of any employer, and the copies themselves are not offered for sale.
Although authors are permitted to re-use all or portions of the Work in other works, this does not include granting third-party requests for reprinting, republishing, or other types of re-use.
