Procrastination is a common issue, which occurs when people unnecessarily postpone decisions or actions, generally despite knowing that doing so will likely affect them negatively. Show
A common reason for procrastination is fear, meaning that people procrastinate because they’re afraid of something, such as failing or being criticized. For example, if a person delays doing a task because they’re afraid of failing, even though it would be better for them to just do the task, then that person is procrastinating due to fear of failure. The association between fear and procrastination is complex, and can have serious implications, so it’s important to understand it. As such, in the following article you will learn more about how fear and procrastination are connected, and see what you can do about this in practice.
Contents
How fear can cause procrastinationFear generally causes procrastination by serving as a powerful emotional deterrent, which makes people more averse to certain tasks, and causes those people to delay taking action as a way to delay whatever it is that they’re afraid of. For example, if a person is afraid to fail on a task, then they might postpone the task as a way to delay dealing with their fear. Coping with fear through this type of avoidance can help the procrastinator protect their mood in the short term, by helping them postpone the thing that they’re afraid of. However, in the long term, this generally hurts them more than it helps, for several reasons:
Types of fear that can cause procrastinationThe following are common fears that can cause procrastination:
Some of these fears overlap in some senses, as in the case of the fear of rejection and the fear of negative evaluation, which both generally revolve around fear of other people’s negative reactions. In addition, a person can be influenced by multiple fears at the same time, often with regard to the same thing. For example, a student might worry both about receiving a bad grade on a homework assignment and about being criticized for it by their teacher or mocked for it by their peers. Finally, additional fears beyond these can also cause people to procrastinate, such as fear of disappointing others, fear of disapproval, fear of asking for help, and fear of a specific individual (e.g., a teacher or parent). For example, people might procrastinate due to a fear of missing out, for example when a student postpones writing a paper because they’re afraid of missing out on social events with their friends.
Understanding the fears that cause procrastinationThe fears that people have on the surface are often driven by deeper underlying fears. These fears, in turn, can often be traced back to fear of negative emotions, such as guilt and shame, which can lead to unpleasant emotional pain. For example, a student who’s afraid of failing a test might actually be afraid of feeling stupid, and of being ashamed of their abilities. Similarly, an author who’s afraid of their book being unsuccessful might actually be afraid of other people thinking that the author is talentless, which would hurt the author emotionally. These fears are often irrational for various reasons, such as that the negative outcome that people are afraid of is unlikely, or is unlikely to influence them as much as they worry it will. For example, someone might be irrationally afraid of getting harsh criticism, even though they’re unlikely to actually receive such criticism, or even though this criticism won’t matter to them in reality. This issue often occurs due to catastrophizing, a phenomenon where people imagine terrible outcomes for their actions, and overestimate the likelihood of those outcomes.
Fear-procrastination cyclesFear is not only a potential cause of procrastination, but also a potential consequence of it, meaning that procrastination can perpetuate and exacerbate existing fears, as well as create new ones. This can lead to a fear-procrastination cycle, where some fear leads a person to procrastinate, which in turn makes them more afraid of the same thing, which causes them to keep procrastinating due to their fear, and so on. For example, this type of cycle can occur when someone is afraid of doing badly on a task, so they procrastinate on it, which means they have to rush to complete it before the deadline, which leads them to do badly. This makes them afraid that they will do badly on similar tasks in the future, which leads them to procrastinate again, and so on. In addition, fear-procrastination cycles can also occur in other ways. For example, if someone is afraid of change, then they might procrastinate on something that can lead to change (e.g., asking for a job promotion), which can get them more used to the status quo, and consequently more afraid of change. Similarly, if someone is afraid of rejection, they might procrastinate on something that can lead to rejection (e.g., asking someone out on a date), which can give them more time to obsess over the potential rejection (e.g., by imagining embarrassing ways it could happen), which can make them more afraid of it.
The complexity of the fear-procrastination relationshipThough fear can lead to procrastination, the relationship between these two phenomena is complex, as fear doesn’t always cause procrastination (and vice versa). Most notably, this is because fear can sometimes drive people to act in a timely manner, rather than procrastinate. For example, this can happen when fear makes someone worry about the negative consequences of not completing a task on time (e.g., punishments), which pushes them to get started early. In addition, the relationship between fear and procrastination can be influenced by other factors, such as people’s self-efficacy. This means, for example, that if someone’s self-efficacy is high enough, they may be able to get started on time, even if their fear would otherwise push them to procrastinate. However, the influence of such factors can also mean that if someone’s self-efficacy is low enough, then they may be driven to procrastination by even small fears, which wouldn’t dictate most people’s behavior. Furthermore, certain factors can also increase people’s tendency to be afraid; these include the personality trait of neuroticism, which reflects the tendency to be prone to negative emotions and psychological stress, as well as associated issues, such as low self-esteem and high self-doubt. Finally, note that people can procrastinate for many reasons other than fears, such as anxiety, perfectionism, depression, and ADHD. Taken together, this all means that not everyone who procrastinates does so because they’re afraid of something, and that not everyone who’s afraid of something will procrastinate on it.
Overcoming fear-based procrastinationThere are several things that you can do to deal with the fears that are causing you to procrastinate:
It might help to do some of these things in writing. For example, you can write down what you’re afraid of, and then write why you’re afraid of it, before writing down things that help you cope with the fear (e.g., reasons why it’s overblown or ways you can deal with its source). Doing this can have various benefits, such as helping you think through the situation more rationally, and helping you have a reminder of how to cope with your fears, which you can look at in the future. In addition, there are many general anti-procrastination techniques that you might benefit from using, primarily to deal with your procrastination, and potentially also with your fears. These techniques include the following:
When choosing which of these techniques to use, it can help to start by figuring out why you procrastinate, and when and how you do so, since this will help you find the best anti-procrastination techniques to use in your particular situation. This is important not only for understanding the fears that cause you to procrastinate, but also for identifying other issues that are causing you to do so, such as perfectionism, depression, and ADHD. In summary, to overcome fear-based procrastination, you can deal with your fears directly, for example by identifying them, thinking through them, and making necessary preparations. In addition, you can benefit from doing other things, including figuring out the nature of your procrastination problem (especially its causes), and using general anti-procrastination techniques, such as developing self-efficacy, breaking your work into manageable steps, and giving yourself permission to make mistakes. What does the term Peter pandemonium refer to?What does the term "Peter Pandemonium" refer to? Young adults who don't want to grow up. Regarding visitation rights of grandparents, how are courts in the U.S. likely to rule? The decision to allow grandparent visitation is most often left up to the parents.
What is the term for the trait characterized by a need for order in the environment?What is the term for the trait characterized by a need for order in the environment? Conscientiousness.
What is the name of the developmental stage between intimacy and generativity identified by George Vaillant?He suggested a stage between intimacy and generativity called "career consolidation." He also suggested a stage called "keepers of meaning." This stage is focused mostly on men between 50 and 60 years of age. Vaillant also added additional aspects to stages.
Which of the Big Five personality traits are likely to decline as adults age?A person's ratings on the five factors has been found to change with time. As one ages, an increase in Agreeableness and Conscientiousness has been observed. Conversely, Extroversion, Neuroticism, and Openness generally decrease as a person ages.
|