Learned resourcefulness and perceived control of pain: A preliminary examination of construct validity

Learned resourcefulness has been conceptualized as a behavioral repertoire by which an individual can regulate internal responses to aversive situations. The Self-Control Schedule (SCS) is the instrument designed to measure the extent to which an individual exhibits learned resourcefulness and utilizes self-regulatory processes. The self-regulatory processes are seen as affecting perceived self-efficacy. SCS was premeasured in a study designed to examine the effects of perceived self-control on pain perception. The data indicated that when given the opportunity, high- compared to low-resourcefulness individuals use self-regulatory processes. SCS was found to be related to the skin resistance response and rated anxiety during the study. No relationship was obtained between SCS and perceived self-efficacy. SCS did appear to differentiate subjects in terms of who is more or less likely to use self-regulatory processes on anxiety-related variables. The theoretical implications of these data were discussed.