One dominant scientific view holds that willpower is a type of muscle which can be weakened through use in the short term and strengthened through use over time. However, evidence from neuroscience, social psychology and behavioral economics suggest that willpower is regional, subverted through desire and strengthened by strategy--these are features a muscular account would not predict. It is better to think about willpower as a skill with a physiological component. Willpower strategies extend the brute effort of self-control through the use of reason and have the practical effect of increasing self-regulation. Willpower is "worth wanting" because there is a gap in our given desires and our evaluations. In general willpower is the skill responsible for extending the motivational force of evaluations to overcome the motivational force of other interests. Of course, willpower can be used in the service of evil, but in general it is a power we would prefer to have. Interestingly, not all cases of weakness of will are, on balance, bad. As a practical matter weakness of will is a crucial element of developing willpower skills over time. Just as a skilled batter relies on failures to teach what is required for good hitting, willpower failures are an important element in developing habits for success. Additionally, the motivational failure of evaluation built in to weakness of will requires a commitment to practical claim that one can choose how to act in ways not dictated by given desires. This commitment to the importance and viability of evaluation is a crucial component of having a moral perspective in a natural system and weakness of will is a signifier of this foundational element of a practical perspective.

In this thesis I apply the concepts of Behavioral Economics to the analysis of the individual health care behavior. In the first chapter I provide a theoretical explanation of the link between loss aversion and health anxiety leading to infrequent preventive testing. In the second chapter I analyze this link empirically based on the general population questionnaire study. In the third chapter I theoretically explore the effects of motivational crowding-in and crowding-out induced by external or self-rewards for the self-control involving tasks such as weight loss or smoking cessation.<p><p>Understanding psychological factors behind the reluctance to use preventive testing is a significant step towards a more efficient health care policy. Some people visit doctors very rarely because of a fear to receive negative results of medical inspection, others prefer to resort to medical services in order to prevent any diseases. Recent research in the field of Behavioral Economics suggests that human's preferences may be significantly influenced by the choice of a reference point. In the first chapter I study the link between loss aversion and the frequently observed tendency to avoid useful but negative information (the ostrich effect) in the context of preventive health care choices. I consider a model with reference-dependent utility that allows to characterize how people choose their health care strategy, namely, the frequency of preventive checkups. In this model an individual lives for two periods and faces a trade-off. She makes a choice between delaying testing until the second period with the risk of a more costly treatment in the future, or learning a possibly unpleasant diagnosis today, that implies an emotional loss but prevents an illness from further development. The model shows that high loss aversion decreases the frequency of preventive testing due to the fear of a bad diagnosis. Moreover, I show that under certain conditions increasing risk of illness discourages testing.<p><p>In the second chapter I provide empirical support for the model predictions. I use a questionnaire study of a representative sample of the Dutch population to measure variables such as loss aversion, testing frequency and subjective risk. I consider the undiagnosed non-symptomatic population and concentrate on medical tests for four illnesses that include hypertension, diabetes, chronic lung disease and cancer. To measure loss aversion I employ a sequence of lottery questions formulated in terms of gains and losses of life years with respect to the current subjective life expectancy. To relate this measure of loss aversion to the testing frequency I use a two-part modeling approach. This approach distinguishes between the likelihood of participation in testing and the frequency of tests for those who decided to participate. The main findings confirm that loss aversion, as measured by lottery choices in terms of life expectancy, is significantly and negatively associated with the decision to participate in preventive testing for hypertension, diabetes and lung disease. Higher loss aversion also leads to lower frequency of self-tests for cancer among women. The effect is more pronounced in magnitude for people with higher subjective risk of illness.<p><p>In the third chapter I explore the phenomena of crowding-out and crowding-in of motivation to exercise self-control. Various health care choices, such as keeping a diet, reducing sugar consumption (e.g. in case of diabetes) or abstaining from smoking, require costly self-control efforts. I study the long-run and short-run influence of external and self-rewards offered to stimulate self-control. In particular, I develop a theoretical model based on the combination of the dual-self approach to the analysis of the time-inconsistency problem with the principal-agent framework. I show that the psychological property of disappointment aversion (represented as loss aversion with respect to the expected outcome) helps to explain the differences in the effects of rewards when a person does not perfectly know her self-control costs. The model is based on two main assumptions. First, a person learns her abstention costs only if she exerts effort. Second, observing high abstention costs brings disutility due to disappointment (loss) aversion. The model shows that in the absence of external reward an individual will exercise self-control only when her confidence in successful abstention is high enough. However, observing high abstention costs will discourage the individual from exerting effort in the second period, i.e. will lead to the crowding-out of motivation. On the contrary, choosing zero effort in period 1 does not reveal the self-control costs. Hence, this preserves the person's self-confidence helping her to abstain in the second period. Such crowding-in of motivation is observed for the intermediate level of self-confidence. I compare this situation to the case when an external reward is offered in the first period. The model shows that given a sufficiently low self-confidence external reward may lead to abstention in both periods. At the same time, without it a person would not abstain in any period. However, for an intermediate self-confidence, external reward may lead to the crowding-out of motivation. For the same level of self-confidence, the absence of such reward may cause crowding-in. Overall, the model generates testable predictions and helps to explain contradictory empirical findings on the motivational effects of different types of rewards. / Doctorat en Sciences économiques et de gestion / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

This master thesis is in theoretical part focusing on the term of self-regulation according to Albert Bandura's theory (1991) and its domains of self-monitoring, self-judgement and self-reaction. Next we define its stand against terms such as addiction and habit, in case of low ability of one's regulation. Thanks to analysis of mainly foreign resources we oriented the work to explanation of relationship between self-regulation and loneliness and life satisfaction. These resources are chosen for their historical consistency and contemporary application, especially in domains of media and online environment. In empirical segment of thesis we are proposing our own questionnaire measuring our ability to self-regulate Facebook usage (SRQ-FB), inspired by original theory of Brown et al. (1999) and Czech translation of their questionnaire, translated and tested by Jakešová et al. (2015). Next we tested hypotheses based on assumption of relationship existence between score of our questionnaire (SRQ-FB) and score of loneliness (measured by UCLA Loneliness Scale; Russell et al., 1980) and life satisfaction score (SWLS - Satisfaction With Life Scale; Diener et al., 1984). Research sample consisted of two nation-based groups: Slovak (N = 168) and Czech (N = 21), which differed significantly in achieved score...

Currently the most influential accounts of personal autonomy, at least in the Englishspeaking world, focus on providing conditions under which agents can be said to exercise self-control. Two distinct accounts of personal autonomy have emerged in this tradition: firstly, hierarchical models grounded in the work of Harry Frankfurt; and secondly, systems division models most famously articulated by Gary Watson. In this thesis I show the inadequacies of both of these models by exploring the problematic views of the self and self-control underlying each model. I will suggest that the problems faced by these models stem from the fact that they endorse a problematic fragmentation of the self. I suggest that a Nietzschean account of personal autonomy is able to avoid these problems. The Nietzschean account can largely, I show, be drawn from Nietzsche’s understanding of both the ‘man of ressentiment’ and his opposite, the sovereign individual. On this picture wholeness of self – rather than fragmentation of the self – is required in order for us to be most fully autonomous. Furthermore, this wholeness of self requires the kind of integrity which is opposed to the problematic fragmentation endorsed by Frankfurt and Watson.

Cette étude doctorale cherche à revisser les caractéristiques de santé mentale positive présentes chez les étudiants universitaires français et colombiens de la faculté de médecine tenant compte que la rentrée à la vie universitaire provoque un dégrée de stress par rapport aux nouvelles demandes aux quelles faire face l'étudiant. Tous les étudiants universitaires traversent par une période d'adaptation qui bien peut culminer de manière appropriée, ou en désertion, motivée par les difficultés académiques ou par l’impossibilité de s'adapter au contexte. Les étudiants universitaires peuvent avoir une tendance plus élevée à ce type de troubles que la population commun. Ceci compte tenu de l’âge et des facteurs externes qu’ils affrontent, tenant compte que beaucoup d’étudiants font face aux difficultés académiques, mais aussi à celles du marché du travail, parfois ils fondent un foyer, tout ceci constituant d’autres sources de problèmes pour eux. En effet un malaise psychologique vient d’ajouter a de mauvais résultats académiques, l’échec ou le rattrapage des semestres, voire d’années…parlons aussi de la désertion des programmes, et du coût élevé des études pour les familles. Ceci implique que dans le cas particulier des étudiants, actuellement on ne parle plus seulement de malaise psychologique qui pourraient présenter les étudiants, et des conséquences possibles, sinon que la présence de certaines caractéristiques peut rendre possible des problèmes de santé mentale.En ce qui concerne la part de la personnalité, il est important que les étudiants aient un mécanisme de contrôle interne, une auto estime importante, et le minimum de symptômes de dépression. Pour cette raison, face aux fortes probabilités d’échec, ou d’abandon des étudiants, les professeurs et directeurs doivent connaître, l’état de santé mentale de leurs étudiants, afin de s’en servir pour renforcer les programmes existants , ou domine la prévention , plus que la notion de maladie… ainsi il y a un apport au processus d’adaptation, en plein bénéfice pour les étudiants lors de leur passage par l’université.Comme Coordinatrice de spécialisations et Enseignante Universitaire, il est, mon intérêt d'étudier les niveaux de Santé mentale positive dans différents contextes socioculturels qui nous portent à la construction d'une théorie qu'incluent les alternatives d'appui qui assurent la meilleure adaptation des étudiants au domaine Universitaire. / This Doctoral study tries to check the characteristics present of mental health positive in the university French and Colombian students of the faculty of medicine, bearing in mind that the entry to the university life provokes a level of stress with relation the new demands to which the student must face. All the university students cross in a period of adjustment that well can culminate in an appropriate way, or in desertion motivated by the academic difficulties or by the inability to adapt to the context. he university students can have major trend to this type of disorders that the majority of the population for the age and the external factors which they face, although many students do not face only the academic load, but also they enter to the labour market or establish a family, being constituted in an important problem because to the psychological discomfort one adds the low yield, the loss and repetition of the semesters or academic years and desertion of the programs, besides the high costs for the families. This implies that in the particular case of the students, nowadays not only one speaks about the psychological discomforts that they can present and his possible consequences, but even of certain characteristics that on having been present, can promote his mental health, for example, Arriola (2002) raises that " in the relating thing to the sphere of personality it is important that the pupils have a locus of internal control, a discharge autoestimates and puntajes minimums of depressive symptoms. As for the part of the personality, it is important that the students had a mechanism of internal control, a car estimates importantly, and the minimum of symptoms of depression. For this reason before the high possibilities of repitencia or student desertion corresponds to the teachers and executives to know and to describe the mental positive health that the university students possess, to turn it into an element that reinforces the existing programs, where the prevention prevails mas that the concept of disease and realizes a contribution to the process of adjustment and suitable utilization of the students in his step along the university. As well as Coordinator of specializations and University Teacher, is, my interest to study the levels of mental positive Health in different sociocultural contexts that take us to the construction of a theory that there include the alternatives of support that assure the best adjustment of the students to the university area.

Täglich treffen Menschen zahlreiche Entscheidungen. Häufig stellt sich dabei die Frage, ob man einer direkt verfügbaren Versuchung nachgibt oder versucht, ein in der Zukunft liegendes Ziel zu erreichen. Impulsivität und Selbstkontrolle können dabei als konfligierende Persönlichkeitseigenschaften im Entscheidungsprozess gesehen werden. In der Entscheidungsforschung wird postuliert, dass zwei getrennte Systeme existieren, die bei jeder Wahl berücksichtigt werden: ein eher impulsives und ein reflektives System. Je nach Stärke der Anteile der beiden Systeme werde eine Entscheidung getroffen. Neben behavioralen Theorien haben die Befunde der kognitiven Neurowissenschaften dazu beigetragen, den beschriebenen Systemen relevante Hirnregionen zuzuschreiben: limbische Regionen, vor allem das ventrale Striatum, werden dabei vor allem mit dem impulsiven System in Verbindung gebracht, während kortikale Strukturen, im Besonderen dorsolateraler präfrontaler (DLPFC) und anteriorer cingulärer Kortex (ACC), mit Selbstkontrolle assoziiert werden. Das Belohnungssystem ist eng mit dopaminergen Signalübertragungswegen verbunden, die unter anderem durch Gene für Dopamin- Rezeptor, -Transporter und -Abbau beeinflusst werden. Studien zur Erforschung der behavioralen Grundlagen und neuronalen Zusammenhänge menschlicher Entscheidungen haben bislang vor allem Forced-Choice-Paradigmen verwendet, bei denen sich die Probanden zwischen einer sofort verfügbaren, kleineren Belohnung und einer späteren, größeren Belohnung entscheiden müssen. Bei dieser Operationalisierung erfolgt bei jeder Entscheidung eine eindeutige Zuordnung zum impulsiven oder selbstkontrollierten System, alltägliche Entscheidungen hingegen sind meist deutlich weniger eindeutig und transparent. Aus diesem Grund wurde im Rahmen der vorliegenden Arbeit ein fMRT-Paradigma entwickelt, das menschliche Entscheidungen abbildet, ohne auf diese dichotome Einteilung zurückzugreifen. So sollten mithilfe des Versuchsresistenz-Paradigmas (VR-Paradigma) sowohl Belohnungsareale aktiviert, als auch schwierige Entscheidungen abgebildet werden. Dabei wurden den Probanden in neun Blöcken jeweils zwanzig kleine Geldbeträge (zwischen einem und 99 Cent) angeboten, von denen pro Block nur fünf gutgeschrieben werden konnten. Es wurden zwei aufeinander aufbauende Studien an unterschiedlichen Stichproben durchgeführt: Im Rahmen der ersten Studie wurden 53 männliche Studenten untersucht. Neben dem VR-Paradigma wurden psychologische Fragebögen erhoben, bei 30 Probanden erfolgte außerdem eine genetische Analyse hinsichtlich dreier Dopamin-assoziierter Polymorphismen (COMT Val158Met, DAT1 und DRD2/ANKK1 Taq 1A). In einer zweiten Studie wurden die Daten 16 männlicher alkoholabhängiger Patienten sieben bis 14 Tage nach Beginn eines Entzugs und 16 männlicher Kontrollprobanden analysiert. Diese wurden ebenfalls dem VR-Paradigma unterzogen und begleitend mithilfe psychologischer Fragebögen untersucht. Bei der Auswertung wurden die Entscheidungen im Sinne eines 2x2-Designs nach Antwort (Ja oder Nein) und Höhe (Hoch (≥ individuellem Median der gutgeschriebenen Beträge) oder Niedrig (< individuellem Median) eingeteilt. Dabei sollten Belohnungsreaktionen vor allem bei höheren Beträgen auftreten, während schwierige Entscheidungen und Versuchungsresistenz über die Ablehnung hoher Beträge und die Annahme niedriger Beträge abgebildet werden. Die Auswertung der ersten Studie erbrachte einen signifikanten Unterschied der Reaktionszeiten im VR-Paradigma bezogen auf die Höhe der angebotenen Beträge und die Interaktion von Antwort und Höhe, wobei die Ablehnung eines hohen Betrags die längsten Reaktionszeiten hervorrief. Bei hohen im Vergleich zu niedrigen Beträgen konnten Aktivierungen im bilateralen ventralen Striatum, rechten DLPFC, ACC, in der bilateralen Insula und im inferioren parietalen Lobus (IPL) nachgewiesen werden. Bei der Ausübung von Versuchungsresistenz (Interaktion der Haupteffekte) wurde dagegen der linke DLPFC aktiviert. Im Rahmen einer Konnektivitätsanalyse (psychophysiologische Interaktionen) konnte eine Korrelation der Aktivierung des linken DLPFC mit dem ventralen Striatum nur bei hohen abgelehnten Beträgen, nicht aber bei niedrigen zurückgewiesenen Beträgen gefunden werden. Bezüglich der Verbindung zwischen neuronaler Aktivierung und Persönlichkeit konnten Zusammenhänge der Belohnungsreaktion mit hohen Werten auf Impulsivitätsskalen und für Risikoverhalten sowie niedrigen Werten für Selbstkontrolle nachgewiesen werden. Für die Aktivierung in Kontrollarealen bei Versuchungsresistenz konnte ein entgegengesetzter Effekt beobachtet werden. Die Auswertung der genetischen Daten ergab eine signifikante stärkere Aktivierung des ventralen Striatums bei 10R- Homozygoten. Bei 10R-Homozygoten liegt eine erhöhte Zahl von Dopamin-Transportern an der Synapse vor, was am ehesten zu einer verringerten Verfügbarkeit von Dopamin im synaptischen Spalt führt. Die Auswertung von Studie 2 erbrachte signifikante Unterschiede der Reaktionszeiten nur bezüglich der Höhe der angebotenen Belohnung, die Gruppenzugehörigkeit (Patient- Kontrolle) und die Interaktion der Haupteffekte hatten keinen Einfluss. Die Patienten behielten signifikant häufiger eine Kaufoption bis zum Ende eines Blocks übrig. Bei der neuronalen Aktivierung konnte eine stärkere Aktivierung des linken DLPFC und linken IPL bei Patienten nachgewiesen werden. Außerdem fanden sich signifikant höhere Werte auf impulsivitätsassoziierten Persönlichkeitsskalen für Patienten im Vergleich zu Kontrollen. Im Rahmen der vorliegenden Arbeit konnten mit dem neu entwickelten VR-Paradigma neuronale Aktivierungen in Belohnungs- (v.a. ventrales Striatum) und Kontrollarealen (v.a. linker DLPFC und ACC) nachgewiesen werden. Außerdem scheint eine Konnektivität zwischen DLPFC und ventralem Striatum abhängig von der Notwendigkeit zur Ausübung kognitiver Kontrolle zu bestehen. Das Ausmaß neuronaler Aktivierung war mit Persönlichkeitsmaßen von Impulsivität und Selbstkontrolle korreliert, hier haben also interindividuelle Unterschiede in neuronaler Aktivierung Auswirkungen auf die Persönlichkeit. Der gefundene Einfluss des DAT1-Gens steht im Gegensatz zu bisherigen Befunden, dies kann mit der unterschiedlichen Operationalisierung zusammenhängen. Unterschiede zwischen alkoholabhängigen Patienten und Kontrollen hinsichtlich einer stärkeren Aktivierung in Kontrollarealen bei Patienten lassen vermuten, dass Patienten einen höheren kognitiven Aufwand zur Kontrollausübung aufwenden müssen. Mithilfe des neuartigen Versuchungsresistenz-fMRT-Paradigmas zur Versuchungsresistenz werden bekannte Hirnregionen im Entscheidungsprozess angesprochen und es bietet darüber hinaus neue Einblicke in Interaktionseffekte. Weiterführende Studien können über eine Anwendung des Paradigmas an einer größeren klinischen Stichprobe in Verbindung mit genetischer Analytik neue Einblicke in Suchtmechanismen und deren Aufrechterhaltung ermöglichen.

Insufficient sleep duration and poor sleep quality can potentiate weight gain and obesity in adolescents. Furthermore, overweight and obese females are at unique risk for insufficient sleep and associated health complications. We examined self-reported sleep duration and self-reported adequacy of sleep duration as potential moderators of the relationship between eating behavior and several cognitive processes including hedonic hunger, executive dysfunction, and self-control. We used a multisystemic conceptual framework to highlight the pathways that may explain the relationship between sleep behaviors and the Healthy Eating Index (HEI). The study employed a cross-sectional design. Participants completed baseline measures of height and weight, self-control, executive functioning, hedonic hunger, and sleep functioning. Self-report of poor sleep adequacy directly influenced executive dysfunction which consequently explained a decrease in self-control functioning. Moreover, we evaluated whether sleep deprivation and extension influences caloric intake. We offer novel yet promising evidence that 9 hrs of sleep fostered greater self-control functioning which promoted intake of 484.69 fewer calories per day compared to sleep deprivation. Our study is well-positioned to improve understanding of individual cognitive subsystems and the mechanism that underlies the influence of sleep behavior on weight-related behaviors among overweight and obese females. Findings from this study have the potential to inform health interventions that promote healthy eating and sleep behaviors.

Deficient self-control leads to shortsighted decisions and incurs severe personal and societal costs. Although neuroimaging has advanced our understanding of neural mechanisms underlying self-control, the ecological validity of laboratory tasks used to assess self-control remains largely unknown. To increase ecological validity and to test a specific hypothesis about the mechanisms underlying real-life self-control, we combined functional MRI during valuebased decision-making with smartphone-based assessment of real-life self-control in a large community sample (N = 194). Results showed that an increased propensity to make shortsighted decisions and commit self-control failures, both in the laboratory task as well as during real-life conflicts, was associated with a reduced modulation of neural value signals in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex in response to anticipated long-term consequences. These results constitute the first evidence that neural mechanisms mediating anticipations of future consequences not only account for self-control in laboratory tasks but also predict real-life self-control, thereby bridging the gap between laboratory research and real-life behavior.

Title: “After all, we are designed to be social beings” - A qualitative study on employees’experience of teleworking during the corona pandemic Authors: Anna Bengtsson &amp; Liselotte Lundahl Abstract The aim of this study is to examine how employees in the white-collar sector experience their work situation during mandatory teleworking caused by the corona pandemic. The aim is to answer four questions concerning self-discipline, employer control, work requirements, decision-making space, social support and impact on well-being. The empirical material comprises semi-structured interviews with eight officials who share the experience ofteleworking. The theoretical framework includes Karasek's &amp; Theorell's demand-control-support model and Foucault's theory of power. The results show that self-discipline varies and changes among the employees, with the exception of a few, who continue to have a high level of self-discipline. Great self-discipline is also required to maintain social relations during teleworking. Further, the results show a reduced level of employer's control; there was an uncertainty among the employees about the extent of the employer's supervision. The results also show increased demands for independence, self-determination and decision-making space. There are experiences of reduced decision-making space in connection with difficulties in getting help from colleagues during remote work. Social support has decreased during teleworking, which also affects well-being.The main reason for reduced well-being is the feeling of loneliness and isolation. The conclusions are that teleworking primarily changes communication from being personal to becoming work-related during the corona pandemic. Furthermore, it appears that digital gatherings cannot replace the physical ones. Keywords: Krav, Kontroll, Stöd, Självdisciplin, Teleworking, Telecommuting, Distansarbete,Covid-19, Job demands, Self-control, Self-discipline, Emotional support, Wellbeing, Flexiblework. / Sammanfattning Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka hur medarbetare inom tjänstemannasektorn upplever sin arbetssituation under tvingande distansarbete orsakat av coronapandemin. Syftet är att besvara fyra frågeställningar om självdisciplin, arbetsgivarens kontroll, arbetskrav ochbeslutsutrymme, socialt stöd samt påverkan på välbefinnande. Det empiriska materialet består av semistrukturerade intervjuer med åtta tjänstemän som delar med sig av sina upplevelser. Det teoretiska ramverket innefattar Karaseks &amp; Theorells krav-kontroll-stöd-modell och Foucaults maktteori.Resultaten visar att självdisciplinen varierar och förändras hos informanterna med undantag av ett fåtal som har fortsatt hög självdisciplin. En hög självdisciplin krävs även för att bibehålla de sociala relationerna under distansarbetet. Resultaten visar en minskad kontroll från arbetsgivaren. Dock råder en osäkerhet kring omfattningen av arbetsgivarens övervakning. Resultaten visar ökade krav på självständighet och självbestämmande och ökat beslutsutrymme. Likväl framkommer upplevelser av minskat beslutsutrymme i samband med svårigheter att få hjälp från kollegor under distansarbetet. Det sociala stödet har minskat under distansarbetet, vilket även påverkar välbefinnandet i någon form. Den främsta orsaken till minskat välbefinnande är känslan av ensamhet och isolering. Slutsatserna blir att distansarbetet under särskilda omständigheter framför allt förändrar kommunikationen från att vara personlig till att bli arbetsrelaterad under coronapandemin. Vidare framkommer att digitala sammankomster inte kan ersätta de fysiska. Sökord: Krav, Kontroll, Stöd, Självdisciplin, Teleworking, Telecommuting, Distansarbete,Covid-19, Job demands, Self control, Self discipline, Emotional support, Wellbeing, Flexiblework.

This cumulative dissertation covers four papers on the management and governance of family firms. The first paper provides a systematic review of the literature on family-related determinants of the board of directors’ tasks, composition and processes in family firms. The review clusters and synthesizes the literature into six major determinants, details the methods used, and provides recommendations for future research in the field. The second paper develops a contingency approach to board task needs of family firms. The paper identifies five contingency factors and demonstrates how board task needs typically evolve over the ownership stages of family businesses. The third paper constitutes a qualitative empirical study on the role of board control in controlling owner family businesses. Based on a multiple case study approach, the study shows that controlling owners frequently use board control as a self-governing mechanism to mitigate self-control problems. Additionally, the study provides insights on favorable board processes and board composition in the controlling owner setting. Overall, the dissertation underlines the importance of factoring in the influence of family firm heterogeneity on the board of directors. The fourth paper concludes the dissertation with a teaching case study on a small family firm that is exposed to the threat of a disruptive innovation in its industry.:1 Introduction 1.1 Research Objective 1.2 Summary of the Research Papers 1.3 References 2 Determinants of Boards in Family Firms: A Systematic Literature Review 2.1 Abstract 2.2 Introduction 2.3 Boards of Directors in Family Firms 2.4 Research Method 2.5 Findings on Family-Related Determinants 2.6 Synthesis of Results 2.7 Future Research 2.8 Conclusion 2.9 Appendix 2.10 References 3 The Board of Directors in Family Firms: One Size Fits Forever? 3.1 Abstract 3.2 Introduction 3.3 Board Tasks in Family Firms 3.4 Development of a Conceptual Model 3.5 Limitations of the Model 3.6 Conclusion 3.7 References 4 Self-Control Through Board Control: Formalized Governance in Controlling Owner Family Businesses 4.1 Abstract 4.2 Introduction 4.3 Theoretical Foundations 4.4 Research Method 4.5 Findings 4.6 Discussion 4.7 Conclusion 4.8 References 5 Teaching Case Study ATB: Digital Disruption in the Manufacturing Industry 5.1 Abstract 5.2 Case Manuscript 5.3 Teaching Note 5.4 References 6 Conclusion 6.1 Contribution of the Dissertation 6.2 Limitations and Avenues for Future Research 6.3 References