| Summary: | In the past decade, there has been a vast increase in the interest and study of selfregulation among children and adolescents across the world. However, limited discussion has taken place about the nature and role of self-regulatory skills among practitioners and the public in Iceland and few studies have focused on the selfregulatory skills of Icelandic participants. The goal of the current article is to provide a comprehensive overview of the construct of self-regulation and related research in Icelandic. The article addresses the construct of self-regulation, describes the development of self-regulatory abilities across childhood and adolescence, discusses research that demonstrates the role of self-regulatory skills for various aspects of positive and problematic development, and considers the implications of current research for educators and other practitioners in Iceland. More specifically, the author reviews current theoretical conceptions of selfregulation and discusses some of the issues that such a young field of study is currently struggling with. There is still considerable debate about how to define the term self-regulation, which may partly be due to the fact that current research is based on different theoretical and empirical traditions, ranging from neuropsychology to educational studies. However, many definitions differentiate between “hot” (emotion) and “cold” (cognitive) self-regulation processes. But, in general, most definitions of self-regulation refer to the conscious control that a person has over his or her own emotions, thinking, and behaviors. The vast changes that occur in self-regulatory behaviors from birth through adolescence are described. During the first months of life, physiological, cognitive, and emotional processes are mostly regulated by the child’s caregiver. As an example, an infant cannot regulate his or her own emotional state (e.g., crying) without the support of a caregiver (e.g., stroking and holding). As the child grows older, regulation becomes increasingly ...
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