The nature of procrastination: A meta-analytic and theoretical review of quintessential self-regulatory failure.
Summary & key facts
This paper reviews research on procrastination and runs a meta-analysis of 691 correlations. It finds that some personality traits (neuroticism, rebelliousness, sensation seeking) have only weak links to procrastination. Strong and consistent predictors include task aversiveness, task delay, low self-efficacy, impulsiveness, and low conscientiousness (including poor self-control, distractibility, poor organization, and low achievement motivation). The results fit a theory called temporal motivation theory. The author says procrastination is common, may be growing, and is still not fully understood.
- The meta-analysis was based on 691 correlations drawn from prior studies.
- Neuroticism, rebelliousness, and sensation seeking showed only weak connections to procrastination in the analysis.
- Strong and consistent predictors of procrastination included task aversiveness (how unpleasant a task is) and task delay (how far away a task or reward is).
- Low self-efficacy (doubting one’s ability) and impulsiveness were found to be strong predictors of procrastination.
- Lower conscientiousness and its facets — self-control, distractibility, organization, and achievement motivation — were consistently linked to higher procrastination.
- The pattern of findings is consistent with temporal motivation theory, described in the paper as an integration of expectancy theory and hyperbolic discounting.
- The author states that procrastination is prevalent, appears to be growing, and is not yet entirely understood.
Abstract
Procrastination is a prevalent and pernicious form of self-regulatory failure that is not entirely understood. Hence, the relevant conceptual, theoretical, and empirical work is reviewed, drawing upon correlational, experimental, and qualitative findings. A meta-analysis of procrastination's possible causes and effects, based on 691 correlations, reveals that neuroticism, rebelliousness, and sensation seeking show only a weak connection. Strong and consistent predictors of procrastination were task aversiveness, task delay, self-efficacy, and impulsiveness, as well as conscientiousness and its facets of self-control, distractibility, organization, and achievement motivation. These effects prove consistent with temporal motivation theory, an integrative hybrid of expectancy theory and hyperbolic discounting. Continued research into procrastination should not be delayed, especially because its prevalence appears to be growing.