n. the ability to be in command of one’s behavior (overt, covert, emotional, or physical) and to restrain or inhibit one’s impulses. In circumstances in which short-term gain is pitted against long-term greater gain, self-control is the ability to opt for the long-term outcome. Choice of the short-term outcome is called impulsiveness. See also self-discipline; self-regulation. —self-controlledadj.