Temptation 6
Zita Lifland
Temptation is a desire to engage in short-term urges for enjoyment that threatens long-term goals.[1] In the context of some religions, temptation is the inclination to sin. Temptation also describes the coaxing or inducing a person into committing such an act, by manipulation or otherwise of curiosity, desire or fear of loss something important to a person.
In the context of self-control and ego depletion, temptation is described as an immediate, pleasurable urge and/or impulse that disrupts an individual's ability to wait for the long-term goals, in which that individual hopes to attain.[1]
More informally, temptation may be used to mean "the state of being attracted and enticed" without anything to do with moral, ethical, or ideological valuation; for example, one may say that a piece of food looks "tempting" even though eating it would result in no negative consequences.
Research suggests that there are paradoxical effects associated with temptation.[1] Implicit in all the forms in which temptation can present itself there is a set of options that may facilitate high moral standards in decision-making.
A research article was written by Vanchai Ariyabuddhiphongs, a professor at Bangkok University, about the motivational and persuasive negative effects of such temptations such as money, that can push one to disregard religious beliefs whether it be Buddhism, Christianity etc.. He says that when given an opportunity at a large amount of money we have a greater chance of harming, stealing, partaking in sexual misconduct, or abusing substances. This idea of money as a negative persuasion tactic in regards to the religions mentioned above, is psychologically proven to affect our cognitive ability to make decisions. Vanchai's article talked solely on Buddhist practices but it is believed that it could be broadened to all beliefs. Our religious beliefs may define who we are as spiritual people, but this article described how an outside source can push those thoughts away and look to benefit us in a way that may include disregarding religion .[2]
In the Eastern Orthodox Christian tradition, temptation is broken down into 6 distinct steps or stages: provocation, momentary disturbance of the intellect, coupling, assent, prepossession, and passion.[3]
Temptation is usually used in a loose sense to describe actions which indicate a lack of self-control. Temptation is something that allures, excites, and seduces someone. Successful endeavors of goal-driven activity is threatened by the tempting nature of immediate pleasure [1] Infatuation can also lead to temptation as someone might do something for love in spite of one's better judgement.
Temptation is measured through indirect and implicit methods.[1] Temptation could be measured using experimental constructs of undesirable situations or through a 'self-report' outcome measure of problem behaviors, which leads to the full extent and process of the underlying conflict and the implications that are oftentimes overlooked.[1]
Research has found that components of an assessment that would allow for an individual to precisely understand the influence of self-control and other potential or protective variables on the process, experience, and resolution of temptation.[1]
Generally individuals experience temptations in both positive and negative terms. For example, there is an individual who may experience temptation in the form of fearing the potential negative implications and consequences that can arise, whether it is in the context of standards or accountability related to the self, society, and/or the transcendent, including condemnation from one's conception of deity, higher power, or sense of responsibility to the universe or nature.[1]
Another example, an individual may view their experience of temptation as an opportunity for growth, it could be intrapersonal growth, interpersonal growth, and/or transcendent growth, which includes recognizing constructive and/or collaborative interactions with the transcendent.[1]
There are valenced effects on a variety of outcomes from temptation. Such as the health and well-being of an individual. There is also the relief of stress that an individual may be experiencing.[1] For example, undesirable, "illicit, and/or transcendent conflicts underlying the successful or failed resolution of the experience of temptation will likely have facilitative or debilitative effects on myriad aspects of physical health, mental health, and well-being".[1]An individual's experience with temptation may influence a person's future experiences, predict future possibilities, and outcomes.[1]
When an individual is attempting to address or resolve a complex experience of temptation, including transcendent levels and potential negative and positive expressions.[1] For example, "mindfulness, humility, prayer, meditation, reframing, resoluteness, determination,other spiritual and/or positive psychological variables may be facilitators, or perhaps alternatives to, self-control as the primary arbiter of temptation".[1]
Self-control is commonly used by an individual to resist temptation. B. F. Skinner stated 9 methods for achieving this.[4]Self-control is considered by some to be a limited resource, which is depleted by use.[5][1] Some believe that self-control can be replenished and thus that the immediate effects of an individual's depleted self-control can be overcome, and that an individual must be able to identify the presence of a temptation (i.e., short-term desire) before self-control can affect an outcome.[1]
First, Christians make a big mistake in this area by saying that we resist temptation and flee Satan. I think the Bible would have us do the opposite. The Bible does not want us to flee Satan; the Bible wants us to resist Satan, and he will flee from us. But that which is designed to ensnare us into sin, we are to flee that temptation and pursue the environment of holiness and the means of grace that build us up.
Katherine MILKMAN: I struggle at the end of a long day to get myself to the gym, even though I know I should go. At the end of a long day, I also struggle with the desire to watch my favorite TV shows instead of getting work done. I actually realized that those two temptations, those two struggles I face, could be combined to solve both problems.
MILKMAN: What if you only let yourself get a pedicure while catching up on overdue emails for work? Or what if you only let yourself listen to your favorite CDs while catching up on household chores? Or only let yourself go to your very favorite restaurant, whose hamburgers you crave, while spending time with a difficult relative who you should see more of? Those would all be examples of temptation bundling.
MILKMAN: We posted flyers all over the campus. We sent out email blasts to every listserv we could find. The people who came told us they desperately wanted to exercise more. They also had to have an iPod to be in our study, and they had to belong to the University of Pennsylvania gym so that they could enter and exit as they pleased. We took these participants who wanted to exercise more and we randomly assigned them, through a coin toss, to one of several different groups. The first experimental group was a treatment group. These participants came in and they had their iPod with them. We told them that we were actually going to give them a new iPod, in addition to the one that they already had, that would be preloaded with four tempting audio novels of their choice. We had a list of 82 books that had been pre-rated as extremely tempting and difficult to put down once you get engaged. These are books like The Da Vinci Code and The Hunger Games.
Carolyn McCORMICK in a clip from The Hunger Games: The rules of the Hunger Games are simple. In punishment for the uprising, each of the twelve districts must provide one girl and one boy, called tributes, to participate.
MILKMAN: Gymflix is one of my favorite suggested products. Imagine that you took a company like Netflix and you called it Gymflix. You let people set aside certain TV shows for gym-only access. My research suggests that a product like that might be very attractive to people.
WOMAN: Last August was my birthday. I turned 25 and something that was a long-term goal for me was to apply to grad school. After I celebrated my birthday, I started with the application process for all the grad schools.
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As a young man, I would sometimes spend time talking with a family friend who was a watch expert. I was fascinated by the way in which he could quickly distinguish a true Rolex from a fake. On one occasion, my friend pointed out the seemingly microscopic initials that a watchmaker had engraved into the underside of a timepiece. It was this small detail that enabled my friend to authenticate this particular watch. I would never have thought to look for such a small and seemingly insignificant detail if he had not pointed it out to me. Similarly, the Scriptures identify the Lord Jesus as the true Israel of God by means of the smallest and seemingly most insignificant details in the records of His temptation in the wilderness.
I met a woman at a conference a few years back. She came up to me after I spoke. She confessed that suicidal thoughts ambushed her as painful intruders. I hugged her and expressed grief that this was a daily battle for her, one that had gone on a long time. I gave her a new perspective as I described that suicidal thoughts can be, for some, a regular temptation. Put in those terms she had a different way to battle.
You can print the verses from Ephesian 6 and pray through them, armor piece by armor piece. You can make a shield and a helmet and a sword and add them to a hope box. You can offer to pray with them and even build a prayer team.
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