From Digital Abstinence to Intentional Digital Regulation: A Cross-Cultural Behavioral Framework for the RESET Model of Sustainable Digital Self-Regulation

Abstract

Digital overuse is a defining psychological challenge of contemporary life. Abstinence-based digital detox approaches dominate current intervention practice. Systematic evidence confirms they produce limited long-term behavioral change. Their core failure is structural: they remove the external stimulus without addressing the internal compulsion. This paper introduces the RESET Model — a five- phase, cross-culturally grounded behavioral framework for sustainable digital self-regulation. It is the second article in a two-part theoretical series. Author’s Article I established the diagnostic foundation. This paper proposes the prescriptive corrective. Five Western behavioral and cognitive theories, Self- Determination Theory, Habit Formation Theory, Behavioral Economics (Choice Architecture), Attention Restoration Theory, and Cognitive Load Theory — are synthesized with Indian philosophical constructs drawn from the Triguna framework and Patanjali's Yoga Sutra. The five-phase model is built through a systematic model-development procedure and validated against established criteria for conceptual contributions in behavioral science. The RESET Model operationalizes Pratyahara, Guna-shifting, and Sakshi Bhav within a testable, sequenced behavioral structure. A proposed multidimensional outcome measure, the Digital Detox Effectiveness Index (DDEI), is introduced alongside three formal propositions directing the future empirical validation agenda.