How bad or good is an impulsive person. Impulsive behavior in childhood

Procrastination can be compared to a Wi-Fi signal that is so weak that even the simplest website on your device will take forever to load. The metaphor is simple: you will hang for a long time, unable to start any of the more or less important tasks.

Painfully familiar situation, right? In addition, few people know how to find the right way out of it. Here's the catch: subconsciously, you seem ready to take on the focused and thoughtful execution of an important task, but you can't say no to a whole bunch of small distractions.

They can easily let go of a case they've been working on for a week, just to do something that will bring them instant positive emotions. A new impulse that has just arisen will have a higher priority than a task from a week ago. In this case, there can be no talk of any planning, only what you want to do right now matters.

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Impulsivity is considered a symptom of a large number of neurological disorders. For example, such as attention deficit disorder () or substance abuse. It is extremely easy for a person with ADHD to be distracted by something like useless chatter or playing through the next level of a simple online game, just because it seems to him that it is much more important and satisfies his current desires.

For a person who has problems with substance abuse, the desire to get another dose of the drug far exceeds the fear of long-term negative consequences, which he, of course, knows about, but nevertheless does not stop abusing. In such cases, the immediate impulse dominates everything else.

How Impulsivity Affects Your Productivity

Do not think that any impulsive act should automatically be classified as bad. The problem only arises when you cannot control your reaction to impulses. For example, consider the following scenario.

You sit at your desk and work hard on your monthly report. All of a sudden, your phone bursts out of the blue with multiple new social media message alerts. You, of course, stretch out your hand to see what has come there. The next 30 minutes go something like this: you open a message, read it, then see some extremely funny picture in the news feed, follow the link that interests you, read the article that opens, get to the comments in which someone will definitely write some nonsense , which you will certainly want to argue with ... Then you look at your watch and realize quite clearly that you have wasted a good half an hour absolutely in vain.

In this story, some external stimulus, or impulse, forced a person to take a break from business as many as four times. It four times led to the fact that instead of work you were doing something more pleasant and easy. The vibration of the phone, an interesting picture in the feed, an interesting link and a stupid comment did their job - they distracted you from work and for some reason turned out to be more important.

Did you recognize yourself as you read this simulated story? If you can’t hit the brakes and say to yourself “I don’t have time to do such useless nonsense right now!”, Then there is a high probability that impulsivity will soon kill yours.

Worst of all, it all has a snowball effect: if you had ignored the message notification from the very beginning, then the next three distractions would not have arisen at all. And all you had to do was turn off the sound or ignore the notification.

To keep your impulsiveness under control, it is extremely important to develop the ability to catch yourself in time when you start to get distracted. You most likely have the ability to complete work on time (deadlines are proof of this), and you know how to focus quite well. The only skill you have to learn is the ability to ignore or delay responding to immediate impulses that seem more important to you than they really are.

What can you do about it

Impulsivity largely depends on your personality. Impulsiveness management is similar to management in many ways. Being angry is sometimes absolutely necessary, but if you lose control of yourself, the consequences can be quite dire.

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It's the same story with impulsiveness. It should be treated as one of the features of your character, which you need to learn how to manage. There are several ways to do this.

Do Mindfulness Exercises

Being attentive means being as focused as possible on a particular matter at the current moment. This means that you are aware of exactly what you are doing, what you are thinking about, and what consequences and results it will lead to. Mindfulness automatically assumes that you keep your thoughts in check, not letting your impulses dictate your terms.

People who are unable to resist their impulsiveness face a number of problems due to the fact that they are easily distracted. Fortunately, mindfulness is a quality that can be trained. If you really have problems with impulsivity, then at first such training will seem like real torture to you, but they are really worth it.

Mindfulness is not just a quality, it teaches our brain to focus.

If you can't concentrate on a long-term task, then practice will help you. Mindfulness is possible through special applications, exercises or even just doing housework.

Yes, it will be quite difficult at first, but nothing happens by itself, so just don't stop. Keep practicing, and after a certain period of time your brain will get used to not responding to instantaneous impulses.

Examine weaknesses and plan accordingly

All people have their own weaknesses that can easily distract us from our work. Good knowledge of your own triggers can greatly assist you in suppressing momentary impulses.

If we go back to the phone notification example, we can find a simple and elegant solution to the problem. Put your phone on airplane mode during the work day, or at least set up notifications so that they do not distract you from the work process.

Set aside time for productive distractions

Excessive impulsivity convinces you that if you do not do something right now, you will never do it again. You can trick this feeling a little to give yourself room for a detour. When you really want to get distracted by something, don’t say “no” to yourself right away, just promise that you will do it a little later.

Any longtime procrastinator knows that it is easier to put something off for a while than to ignore it completely.

Allocate a certain time when you can pay attention at once to all the accumulated things that could distract you, and do them all at once. Then you will calmly work on your current tasks, knowing that the time will come for pleasant little things.

Talk to a specialist about your concerns

Yes, seriously, there is nothing wrong with that. If you find that the situation is out of control and you can not focus on anything for more than a minute, then you should seek the advice of a specialist.

You might argue that lack of focus is not that important and more contrived than a real problem, but no, it is quite serious. There is no shame in asking for help.

A specialist can prescribe medication if the problems are really big, in other cases, he can advise you on some useful exercises to train your attention and memory. If you stick to them diligently, after a few weeks of practice, your brain will learn to better deal with impulsivity.

Understanding the underlying impulses that cause us to get distracted and procrastinate can help you learn to focus on long-term tasks.

It would be great if we could just sit around the table and yell, “Don't get distracted! Concentrate!” to force yourself to work better. But such a method is unlikely to save us from random thoughts. Instead of focusing all your efforts on keeping your thoughts flowing in one direction, try at first to simply not let distractions get in your way.

Impulsivity A factor related to temperament and manifested by actions that are performed unexpectedly and inappropriately to the circumstances.

Brief explanatory psychological and psychiatric dictionary. Ed. igisheva. 2008 .

Impulsiveness

A character trait expressed in a tendency to act without sufficient conscious control, under the influence of external circumstances or emotional experiences. As an age feature, it manifests itself mainly in children of the age of preschool and school younger, which is due to the insufficient development of control over behavior. With normal development, this form of impulsivity is quite successfully corrected:

1 ) in joint games of children, where the implementation of role-playing rules requires restraint of immediate motives and consideration of the interests of other players;

2 ) somewhat later - in educational activities.

Upon reaching the age of adolescence, impulsivity can again manifest itself as an age-related feature associated with an increase in emotional excitability at this age. To diagnose impulsivity, special tests and questionnaires are used, for example, the impulsiveness questionnaire of S. and X. Aizenkov.

Dictionary of practical psychologist. - M.: AST, Harvest. S. Yu. Golovin. 1998 .

Impulsiveness Etymology.

Comes from lat. impulsus - push.

Category.

Trait.

Specificity.

The tendency to act without sufficient conscious control, under the influence of external circumstances or due to emotional experiences.

Genesis.

As an age feature, impulsivity manifests itself mainly in children of preschool and primary school age, which is due to the insufficient formation of the function of controlling behavior. With normal development, this form of impulsivity is corrected quite optimally in the joint games of children, in which the fulfillment of role-playing rules requires restraint of their immediate motives and consideration of the interests of other players, as well as somewhat later in educational activities. Upon reaching adolescence, impulsivity can again manifest itself as an age-related feature, already associated with an increase in emotional excitability at this age.

Diagnostics.

To diagnose impulsivity, special tests and questionnaires are used, for example, Kagan's Matching Familiar Figure Test and H. Eysenck's impulsiveness questionnaire.

Psychological Dictionary. THEM. Kondakov. 2000 .

IMPULSIVENESS

(English) impulsivity; from lat. impulsio- push; in a figurative sense - motivation, reason) - a feature of human behavior (in stable forms - a character trait), consisting in inclinations act on the first impulse, under the influence of external circumstances or emotions. An impulsive person does not think about his deeds, does not weigh all the pros and cons, he reacts quickly and directly and often just as quickly repents of his actions. It should be distinguished from I., which also involves a quick and energetic reaction, but is associated with thinking about the situation and making the most appropriate and informed decisions. I. is predominantly characteristic of preschool children and partly primary school age due to the weakness of control over one's behavior inherent in this age. Joint games preschoolers, requiring restraint of immediate impulses, obedience to the rules of the game, taking into account the interests of other players, contribute to overcoming I. In the future, an even greater role in this regard is played by . In adolescents, I. is often the result of increased emotional excitability, characteristic of this age. In older schoolchildren and adults, I. is observed with great fatigue, affect, or some diseases of n. with. Cm. .

Added ed.: 1. I. together with an antonymous term "reflexivity" denotes one of the intended dimensions of a complex construct "cognitive style". A number of tests and questionnaires have been developed to identify and measure I., in particular Matching familiar figure test Kagan and the questionnaire of impulsivity S. and G. Aizenkov. When performing the Kagan test, subjects are classified according to the speed and accuracy of answers into 4 categories: solving problems slowly and accurately are classified as “reflexive”; quickly and inaccurately - "impulsive"; other options (fast-accurate and slow-inaccurate) form the poles of the characteristic, which is called "efficiency".

2. Recently, another meaning of I. (and impulsive behavior) has appeared - the preference for less valuable, but closer in time to the onset (less delayed) reinforcements: "better a titmouse in the hands than a crane in the sky." Against. the choice (of a more delayed, but also more valuable reward) is characterized by the term "self-control". Studies of these behaviors are being conducted in animals and humans. This value can be denoted by the term "motivational I." (not to be confused with the "operational I." described above). (B. M.)

Big psychological dictionary. - M.: Prime-EVROZNAK. Ed. B.G. Meshcheryakova, acad. V.P. Zinchenko. 2003 .

Impulsiveness

   IMPULSIVENESS (with. 261)

Self-control is not just an important dignity of the individual, but, in essence, a necessary condition for a normal life and communication. Not only does a person who does not control himself not cause sympathy among others; due to insufficient self-control, he sometimes finds himself in awkward and unpleasant situations. And vice versa: the one who knows how to balance his motives with the requirements of the situation and social norms achieves great success on the path of life and deserves universal respect.

Parents, of course, would like their child to take the second path and learn to control himself. Everyone knows from personal experience that it is not always wise or helpful to give in to a sudden impulse. No one wants his child to become a slave to his moods. We strive to instill in the child the skills of sober and balanced behavior from an early age, appealing to his reason and common sense. Alas, this almost never succeeds to the extent that one would like. Children often behave impulsively and spontaneously, in no way agreeing to measure seven times, then cut off. This is especially true for preschoolers. But schoolchildren sometimes upset parents and teachers with unreasonable, hasty actions. In fact, this is a common misfortune that infuriates many adults (after all, it is precisely children's impulsiveness that often underlies what is commonly regarded as whims, disobedience, etc.). Can and should any action be taken in this regard? If so, which ones?

To begin with, let's try to imagine the psychological mechanism of self-control. This is one of those abilities that significantly distinguishes man from animals and allows him to rightfully occupy the highest step in the evolutionary hierarchy. The behavior of animals is dictated mainly by the simplest motives. Only at sufficiently high stages of evolution does the ability to more or less arbitrarily regulate one's actions appear.

Such an experiment is indicative. A hungry animal (chicken) was placed in front of a transparent barrier in the form of an L-shaped plexiglass wall. Food bait was placed behind the wall. Seeing her, the chicken rushed ahead, ran into an obstacle, but again and again made unsuccessful attempts to reach the goal. Animals at a higher level of organization (dogs) quickly found a way around the obstacle. True, the device of the barrier forced for a short time to turn his back on the bait and let it out of sight. Only sufficiently highly organized animals were capable of this.

The experience described is a clear, albeit very simplified, illustration of the mechanism of voluntary regulation of behavior. A spontaneous impulse pushes forward towards the goal, although it often becomes immediately clear that such a straightforward goal cannot be achieved, and one can hurt oneself (sometimes this is known in advance). Only by partially subduing the impulse that has arisen and even temporarily “turning away” from the goal, one can find a roundabout, but acceptable and reliable way. The ability to do this does not appear immediately both on the evolutionary ladder and in the individual development of the child. The infant simply does not know any other regulators of behavior than his own needs. Only with time does the world open up to him in all its diversity and complexity, which he gradually begins to take into account.

No one will argue that the psychological world of a child is different from the world of an adult. Before mastering the skills of conscious behavior, the child must go through a certain path. And we, adults, in each individual case need to be aware of which part of this path the child is on. Parents sometimes rush things and believe that if the baby has learned to hold a spoon and lace up his shoes like an adult, then he should behave “correctly” in the rest. And a small child simply does not know how to do this yet. And it is impossible to force him, you can only teach, and gradually, in proportion to the rhythm of his steps along the path of life.

There are objective, purely natural factors that do not allow demanding complete arbitrariness of behavior from a small child. In the first six or seven years of life, the process of active formation of the central nervous system is carried out (it continues in subsequent years, but less pronounced and active). In early and preschool age, nervous excitation noticeably predominates over inhibition in the brain; their known balance is reached only by about seven or eight years. In other words, the child has not yet formed the psycho-physiological mechanism that would allow the suppression and regulation of spontaneously arising impulses. Therefore, parents who demand complete self-control from a preschooler must realize that they want the impossible. It is possible, of course, to train the child harshly in such a way that constant looking back at punishment will become a regulatory brake. But parents who sincerely love their children will never agree to follow this path.

The absence of arbitrary regulation of behavior, which is so annoying in an adult, at a certain stage of a child's development, is his natural age feature. And this feature, whether we like it or not, has to be reckoned with. The forceful planting of "rational" behavior is not only futile, but also fraught with the emergence of serious emotional and behavioral problems.

Thus, in the first years of a child's life, his impulsiveness is natural and practically cannot be corrected.

Does this mean that parents can sit idly by, waiting for their child to grow into conscious discipline by a certain date? No, this is, of course, a primitive and incorrect simplification. If we refuse to influence the child (if at all possible), we will never get conscious and sober behavior. Having not acquired the habit of controlling himself, a person can remain an empty float all his life, aimlessly rushing about in the whirlpool of life. How can he acquire the necessary skills?

Adults should be aware that a small child is not yet fully capable of arbitrarily regulating his behavior. Therefore, the functions of the regulator initially belong to an adult, in the first months of life - entirely. As the child develops, the adult has the right to expect a gradual redistribution of responsibilities. But it is worth repeating: these expectations should not be hasty and excessive. The formation of voluntary regulation of behavior is a gradual process, and one must be patient to follow its pace. It is useless to try to speed it up. However, it is unacceptable to let the process take its course: nothing will come of it just like that. Influence on the child does not consist in deciding everything for him, and not in prematurely demanding his own personal responsibility from him. Directing the steps of the child, the adult gradually shifts the burden of responsibility onto him (after all, the baby cannot immediately master the fullness of such a load!). The main thing in this process is the gradual formation of the ability to measure one's motives and the likely results, actions and consequences. In each specific situation, adults should encourage the correct steps of the child, over and over again letting him understand the need to take into account different conditions, rules and circumstances. Any other path leads in a different, alas, undesirable direction.

Popular psychological encyclopedia. - M.: Eksmo. S.S. Stepanov. 2005 .

Synonyms:

See what "impulsivity" is in other dictionaries:

Impulsiveness- a character trait, expressed in a tendency to act without sufficient conscious control, under the influence of external circumstances or due to emotional experiences. As an age-related feature, impulsivity manifests itself predominantly ... Psychological Dictionary

impulsiveness- impulsiveness, nervousness, sharpness, involuntariness Dictionary of Russian synonyms. impulsiveness noun, number of synonyms: 5 explosive character (1) ... Synonym dictionary

IMPULSIVENESS- IMPULSITY, impulsiveness, pl. no, female (book). distraction noun to impulsive. Explanatory Dictionary of Ushakov. D.N. Ushakov. 1935 1940 ... Explanatory Dictionary of Ushakov

impulsiveness- IMPULSIVE, oh, oh; veins, vna (book). Explanatory dictionary of Ozhegov. S.I. Ozhegov, N.Yu. Shvedova. 1949 1992 ... Explanatory dictionary of Ozhegov

IMPULSIVENESS- (from lat. im.pu.l sivus prompted) eng. impulsivity; German Impulsive. A character trait that manifests itself in restraint, a tendency to act on the first impulse. I. may be the result of a lack of self-control, age characteristics and ... ... Encyclopedia of Sociology

Impulsivity is the ability to make quick and spontaneous decisions without considering negative consequences. This character trait is the result of self-confident categoricalness and impatience. An impulsive person is guided more often by feelings and emotions than by reason. This set of qualities gives rise to unconscious faux pas and rudeness, harshness and irascibility.

Such behavior complicates the relationship of the individual with the people around him - relatives, friends, work colleagues. An impulsive person can burn too much of his own psychophysical energy due to an excessive emotional outburst, after which he experiences weakness and fatigue.

Such a feature of character is possessed by people who are energetic, explosive. They say about them that they first do and then think. An impulsive person is usually a bad conversationalist. Having asked, he does not listen to the answer. His thoughts jump from one object to another. He can be overly talkative, while he cares little whether the interlocutor is listening or not.

A classic example of such an impulsive character is the hero of Gogol's poem Dead Souls, the landowner Nozdryov. This one never thought about his actions. And if some thought flashed in his brain, he immediately began to act, not at all in accordance with human logic. He often became the initiator of fights and conflicts, he could lose to the nines, he never drew the right conclusions from his actions.

More often, unmotivated impulsiveness is possessed by children and adolescents. Most of them with age acquire the ability to analyze their actions, to the logic of actions. But some retain a tendency to such behavior for life. An impulsive person is often eccentric, that is, prone to strange, unusual behavior.

The impulsiveness of actions can be triggered by stress or some non-standard situation. It is under the influence of such events that an impulsive reaction can flare up even in people who are quite adequate and reasonable in a calm and familiar environment. It is also not uncommon for situations when nervous tension accumulates for a long time, fueled by jealousy, anger, longing, envy and other circumstances, so that one day it bursts out with an outbreak of impulsive actions. Under the influence of the latter, crimes are committed, while the perpetrator himself is not always able to explain why he committed this act.

But if this kind of reaction is of a random one-time nature, then impulsive behavior is the norm for such an individual. This behavior is more often the result of emotional and mental instability, the lack of adequate reactions, which has managed to turn into a familiar form. Impulsiveness and inadequacy of actions can be affected by the state of intoxication. Often, impulsive actions are committed due to the desire of the individual to assert himself, ensuring his superiority over others, or simply because of the desire to throw out the accumulated negative emotions.

Start practicing yoga. Regular yoga classes help focus and reduce impulsivity. Training in which you learn to salute the sun daily and do breathing exercises helps improve concentration.

• The greatest benefits bring yoga classes at every opportunity. For example, if you are going to a store, do some breathing exercises before you go inside. At home, if you're feeling the urge to eat junk food, take a few seconds to reach for the sun.

Train daily. Physical exercise, especially aerobics, will help reduce your impulsiveness. Playing sports improves mood, minimizes the effects of stress and anxiety.

• Active sports help to concentrate. If you are prone to impulsive actions out of boredom or stress, then playing sports will direct your energy in the right direction.
• Studies show that a daily 40-minute workout improves the physical condition of overweight children.
• Physical activity is beneficial for people of all ages.

Learn more about how to develop awareness of your feelings. Understanding (awareness of) your own feelings and the ability to cope with emotions will help you better control your actions. Being aware of your feelings is also important because it gives you the opportunity to disregard your own impulsiveness and make the right decision.

• When you have a desire, clearly formulate it in your mind and only then begin to act. For example: “I am angry with my friend because of what she said, I want to criticize her.” This should be followed by a more constructive response, such as “I can try to calm down.”
• Awareness means focusing on what is going on inside you. Before acting under the influence of emotions, that is, impulsively, it is important to comprehend and understand what happened, as well as to formulate meaningful in your mind. However, this may take some time.

Talk to people you trust. If anxiety is the cause of your impulsiveness, then people you trust can help you. Knowing that you have people who are reliable, understanding, and loving in your life will reduce feelings of anxiety and help you deal with impulsiveness.

• You can also seek professional help from a psychologist or coaching specialist and talk about the difficulties that excessive impulsivity gives you.
• Socializing with friends and relaxing with loved ones will also contribute to spiritual harmony and reduce anxiety, even if the problem is really serious.

Ask a friend to help you train yourself to be responsible. A friend can help you achieve your goals. Find a reliable and impartial friend and tell him about your goals. But first, decide what kind of support you need in order to achieve your goals.

• Perhaps you want to ask a friend to call you from time to time and ask about your progress. Or do you prefer to schedule regular meetings with him so that he can check if you are doing everything possible to achieve your goal.
• It is also worth making a plan for exactly how your friend should act in cases where you act impulsively.
• In response, you can offer your friend your help in solving his problems. This way you will become partners in mutual responsibility.

Be aware of how impulsivity affects your life. Impulsivity can have both positive and negative sides. For example, if you hesitate for a long time and make an important decision at the very last minute, then this may mean that you are trying to avoid the stress of trying to make an informed decision.

• If you're trying to reap the benefits of impulsivity, it's best to find better ways to reap the benefits.
• You can still act spontaneously even if you become less impulsive. Stop reacting to everything impulsively does not mean that your life will be boring and monotonous. This means that you will now have more control over where your time, effort and money go.