Registered Report: Self-Control Beyond Inhibition—German Translation and Quality Assessment of the Self-Control Strategy Scale (SCSS)

Self-control is crucial for goal attainment and related to several beneficial outcomes, such as health and education. For a long time, it was predominantly understood in terms of inhibition, namely the ability to suppress immediate urges for the sake of long-term goals. Still, research on other self-control strategies has a longstanding tradition and recent research has moved towards a broader approach, integrating different strategies of self-control (e.g., reappraisal or pre-commitment) to gain a more comprehensive perspective on relevant processes in goal protection. The current study aimed to translate and validate the Self-Control Strategy Scale (SCSS, Katzir et al., 2021) to enable its application in German speaking populations while assuring high measurement quality. Across 5 studies (N = 3,400), we assessed the internal structure, reliability and convergent and discriminant validity. Additionally, the strategies' relationship with several self-control outcomes (e.g., achievement, health behavior, or pro-environmental behavior) were tested. The assumed eight-factor structure was confirmed, internal consistency and retest reliability were sufficient for most subscales and the model was invariant between gender and age groups. Convergent and discriminant validity were overall adequate. Different associations emerged between strategies and outcomes, depending on the outcome domain. Thus, the SCSS appears to be a valid and reliable measure, which can be used in German. The results provide a good starting point for future research on the utility of self-control strategies in different domains.