Ego Depletion: An Economic Model of Self-Control

By Jonathan Reddinger

Ego depletion is a relatively new view of self-control, demonstrated by psychologists in an experimental setting, that considers willpower to be a personal, renewable resource that is affected by an agent's actions. This paper proposes a fundamental framework that allows the phenomenon of ego depletion to coexist soundly with the traditional consumer microeconomic model. A formal generalized consumer model is proposed in which willpower is a depletable, renewable, unconstrained resource, and results are derived from specific cases. The conclusions are consistent with the theory of ego depletion, and many of the results illustrate the agent's optimal choices in a way that has not been previously presented.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0HDX97SM3
• ISBN13: 9780557440320
• Release Date: April 2010
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Length: 54 Pages
• Weight: 0.33 lbs.
• Dimensions: 11.0" x 0.1" x 8.5"