Self-directedness is a personality trait held by someone with characteristic self-determination, that is, the ability to regulate and adapt behavior to the demands of a situation in order to achieve personally chosen goals and values.[1]
It is one of the "character" dimensions in Cloninger's Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI). Cloninger described it as "willpower"—"a metaphorical abstract concept to describe the extent to which a person identifies the imaginal self as an integrated, purposeful whole individual, rather than a disorganized set of reactive impulses."[1] Cloninger's research found that low self-directedness is a major common feature of personality disorders generally.
Self-directedness is conceptually related to locus of control.[2] That is, low self-directedness is associated with external locus of control, whereas high self-directedness is associated with internal locus of control.[1]
In the five factor model of personality, self-directedness has a strong inverse association with neuroticism and a strong positive association with conscientiousness.[2]