Procrastination: Difference between revisions
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The word itself comes from the [[Latin]] word ''procrastinatus'': ''pro-'' (forward) and ''crastinus'' (of tomorrow). The term's first known appearance was in [[Edward Hall]]'s ''The Union of the Noble and Illustre Famelies of Lancastre and York'', first published sometime before 1548.<ref>Procrastination. ''[[Oxford English Dictionary]]'', 2nd edition (1989).</ref> The [[sermon]] reflected procrastination's connection at the time to [[Time management|task avoidance]] or delay, volition or will, and [[sin]]. |
The word itself comes from the [[Latin]] word ''procrastinatus'': ''pro-'' (forward) and ''crastinus'' (of tomorrow). The term's first known appearance was in [[Edward Hall]]'s ''The Union of the Noble and Illustre Famelies of Lancastre and York'', first published sometime before 1548.<ref>Procrastination. ''[[Oxford English Dictionary]]'', 2nd edition (1989).</ref> The [[sermon]] reflected procrastination's connection at the time to [[Time management|task avoidance]] or delay, volition or will, and [[sin]]. |
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Mrs Haier is cool. |
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== Causes of procrastination == |
== Causes of procrastination == |
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Revision as of 14:51, 30 March 2010
Procrastination refers to the counterproductive deferment of actions or tasks to a later time. Psychologists often cite such behavior as a mechanism for coping with the anxiety associated with starting or completing any task or decision.[1] There are three criteria for a behavior to be classified as procrastination: it must be counterproductive, needless, and delaying.[2]
Procrastination may result in stress, a sense of guilt and crisis, severe loss of personal productivity, as well as societal disapproval for not meeting responsibilities or commitments. These feelings combined may promote further procrastination. While it is regarded as normal for people to procrastinate to some degree, it becomes a problem when it impedes normal functioning. Chronic procrastination may be a sign of an underlying psychological disorder.
Etymology
The word itself comes from the Latin word procrastinatus: pro- (forward) and crastinus (of tomorrow). The term's first known appearance was in Edward Hall's The Union of the Noble and Illustre Famelies of Lancastre and York, first published sometime before 1548.[3] The sermon reflected procrastination's connection at the time to task avoidance or delay, volition or will, and sin. Mrs Haier is cool.
Causes of procrastination
Psychological
The psychological causes of procrastination vary greatly, but generally surround issues of anxiety, low sense of self-worth, and a self-defeating mentality[4]. Procrastinators are also thought to have a lower-than-normal level of conscientiousness, more based on the "dreams and wishes" of perfection or achievement in contrast to a realistic appreciation of their obligations and potential.[5]
Physiological
 | This section relies largely or entirely on a single source. (February 2010) |
Research on the physiological roots of procrastination mostly surrounds the role of the prefrontal cortex. This area of the brain is responsible for executive brain functions such as planning, impulse control, attention, and acts as a filter by decreasing distracting stimuli from other brain regions. Damage or low activation in this area can reduce an individual's ability to filter out distracting stimuli, ultimately resulting in poorer organization, a loss of attention and increased procrastination. This is similar to the prefrontal lobe's role in attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), where underactivation is common.[5]
Procrastination and mental health
Procrastination can be a persistent and debilitating disorder in some people, causing significant psychological disability and dysfunction. These individuals may actually be suffering from an underlying mental health problem such as depression or ADHD.
While procrastination is a behavioral condition, these underlying mental health disorders can be treated with medication and/or therapy. Therapy can be a useful tool in helping an individual learn new behaviors, overcome fears and anxieties, and achieve an improved quality of life. Thus it is important for people who chronically struggle with debilitating procrastination to see a trained therapist or psychiatrist to see if an underlying mental health issue may be present.
People who exhibit procrastination and decreased impulse control appear to be prone to internet addiction.[6]
Perfectionism
Traditionally, procrastination has been associated with perfectionism, a tendency to negatively evaluate outcomes and one's own performance, intense fear and avoidance of evaluation of one's abilities by others, heightened social self-consciousness and anxiety, recurrent low mood, and "workaholism". According to Robert B. Slaney [7] adaptive perfectionists (when perfectionism is egosyntonic) were less likely to procrastinate than non-perfectionists, while maladaptive perfectionists (people who saw their perfectionism as a problem; i.e., when perfectionism is egodystonic) had high levels of procrastination (and also of anxiety).[8]
Academic procrastination
While academic procrastination is not a special type of procrastination, procrastination is thought to be particularly prevalent in the academic setting, where students are required to meet deadlines for assignments and tests in an environment full of events and activities which compete for the students' time and attention. More specifically, a 1992 study showed that "52% of surveyed students indicated having a moderate to high need for help concerning procrastination".[9] It is estimated that 80%-95% of college students engage in procrastination, approximately 75% consider themselves procrastinators.[10]
One source of procrastination is underestimating the time required to analyze research. Many students devote weeks to gathering research for a term paper, but are unable to finish writing it because they have to review many contradictory opinions before they can offer their own perspective on the subject. Despite knowing how to consult resources, they struggle to perform their own analysis.[11]
"Student syndrome" refers to the phenomenon where a student will only begin to fully apply themselves to a task immediately before a deadline. This negates the usefulness of any buffers built into individual task duration estimates. Students have also difficulties when self-imposing deadlines.[12] The principle is also addressed in Agile Software Development.
Types of procrastinators
The relaxed type
The relaxed type of procrastinators view their responsibilities negatively and avoid them by directing energy into other tasks. It is common, for example, for relaxed type procrastinating children to abandon schoolwork but not their social lives. Students often see projects as a whole rather than breaking them into smaller parts. This type of procrastination is a form of denial or cover-up; therefore, typically no help is being sought. Furthermore, they are also unable to defer gratification. The procrastinator avoids situations that would cause displeasure, indulging instead in more enjoyable activities. In Freudian terms, such procrastinators refuse to renounce the pleasure principle, instead sacrificing the reality principle. They may not appear to be worried about work and deadlines, but this is simply an evasion of the work that needs to be completed.[13]
The tense-afraid type
The tense-afraid type of procrastinators usually feel overwhelmed with pressure, unrealistic about time, uncertain about goals, and many other negative feelings. They may feel a sense of malaise. Feeling that they lack the ability or focus to successfully complete their work, they tell themselves that they need to unwind and relax, that it's better to take it easy for the afternoon, for example, and start afresh in the morning. They usually have grandiose plans that aren't realistic. Their 'relaxing' is often temporary and ineffective, and leads to even more stress as time runs out, deadlines approach and the person feels increasingly guilty and apprehensive. This behavior becomes a cycle of failure and delay, as plans and goals are put off, pencilled into the following day or week in the diary again and again. It can also have a debilitating effect on their personal lives and relationships. Since they are uncertain about their goals, they often feel awkward with people who appear confident and goal-oriented, which can lead to depression. Tense-afraid procrastinators often withdraw from social life, avoiding contact even with close friends.[13]
Stigma and misunderstanding
Procrastinators often have great difficulty in seeking help, or finding an understanding source of support, due to the stigma and profound misunderstanding surrounding extreme forms of procrastination. One of the symptoms, known to psychologists as task-aversiveness, is often mischaracterised as laziness, a lack of willpower or loss of ambition.[14]
References
- ^ Fiore, Neil A (2006). The Now Habit: A Strategic Program for Overcoming Procrastination and Enjoying Guilt- Free Play. New York: Penguin Group. ISBN 9781585425525. p. 5
- ^ Schraw, G., Wadkins, T., & Olafson, L. (2007). Doing the things we do: A grounded theory of academic procrastination [Electronic version]. Journal of Educational Psychology, Vol 99(1), 12-25.
- ^ Procrastination. Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd edition (1989).
- ^ * Burka, Yuen (1983, 2008). Procrastination: Why You Do It, What To Do About It Now. New York: Da Capo Lifelong Books. ISBN 9780738211701.
{{cite book}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ a b Strub, Richard L. (1989), "Frontal lobe syndrome in a patient with bilateral globus pallidus lesions", Archives of Neurology, 46 (9): 1024–1027
{{citation}}: Unknown parameter|month=ignored (help) - ^ Yellowlees, P.M. (2007). "Problematic Internet use or Internet addiction?". Computers in Human Behavior. 23 (3): 1447–1453. doi:10.1016/j.chb.2005.05.004. Retrieved 2008-06-11.
{{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ Robert B. Slaney is a professor of counseling psychology in Penn State's College of Education
- ^ McGarvey. Jason A. (1996) The Almost Perfect Definition
- ^ R P Gallagher, S Borg, A Golin and K Kelleher (1992), Journal of College Student Development, 33(4), 301-10.
- ^ American Psychological Association, Steel 1[clarification needed]
- ^ Burka, Jane B. Procrastination why you do it, what to do about it. Cambridge, MA: Da Capo P, 2008.
- ^ Ariely, Dan; Wertenbroch, Klaus (2002). "Procrastination, Deadlines, and Performance: Self-Control by Precommitment" (PDF). Psychological Science. 13 (3): 219–224.
- ^ a b Procrastination, How to Stop Procrastinating
- ^ Steel, Piers (January 2007). "The nature of procrastination: A meta-analytic and theoretical review of quintessential self-regulatory failure". American Psychological Association. Psychological Bulletin. Vol 133(1). Retrieved February 5, 2009.
External links
- Procrastination Central - A scientific summary of procrastination
- CalPoly - Procrastination - analysis of procrastinating behavior and possible cures
- Article regarding studies on procrastination
- Psychological Self-Help - Another scientific summary of procrastination and methods to address the issue
- Procrastination research group homepage - Academic procrastination research group
- Don't Delay - Blog on procrastination