Procrastination as a self-regulation failure: The role of impulsivity and intrusive thoughts

[en] Procrastination has been described as the quintessence of self-regulatory failure. This study examines the relationships between this self-regulatory failure and other manifestations of self-regulation problems, namely impulsivity and intrusive thoughts. One hundred and forty-one participants completed questionnaires assessing procrastination, impulsivity (in particular, the urgency and lack of perseverance dimensions), and intrusive thoughts (i.e., rumination and daydreaming). Main results show that urgency mediated the association between rumination and procrastination, whereas rumination did not mediate the relation between urgency and procrastination. Lack of perseverance mediated the association between daydreaming and procrastination, and daydreaming mediated the relation between lack of perseverance and procrastination. This study highlights the role of impulsivity and intrusive thoughts in procrastination, specifies the links between these self-regulation problems, and provides insights into their (potential) underlying mechanisms. It also opens interesting prospects for management strategies for implementing targeted psychological interventions to reduce impulsive manifestations and/or thought control difficulties accompanying procrastination.

Disciplines :

Theoretical & cognitive psychology

Author, co-author :

Rebetez, Marie; Université de Genève - UNIGE

Rochat, Lucien; Université de Genève - UNIGE

Barsics, Catherine ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département de Psychologie > Psychopathologie cognitive

Van der Linden, Martial ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département de Psychologie > Département de Psychologie

Language :

English

Title :

Procrastination as a self-regulation failure: The role of impulsivity and intrusive thoughts

Publication date :

2018

Journal title :

Psychological Reports

ISSN :

0033-2941

eISSN :

1558-691X

Publisher :

Southern Universities Press, Missoula, United States - Montana

Volume :

121

Issue :

Pages :

26-41

Peer reviewed :

Peer Reviewed verified by ORBi

Available on ORBi :

since 02 March 2019

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2387 (9 by ULiège)

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