A Clinical Guide to Treating Procrastination Using Contextual Behavioral Science
Date of Award
2020
Document Type
Doctoral Research Paper
Degree Name
Psy.D.
Organizational Unit
Graduate School of Professional Psychology
First Advisor
John McNeill
Second Advisor
Neil Gowensmith
Third Advisor
Brian Scherzer
Keywords
Procrastination, Acceptance Commitment Therapy, ACT
Abstract
Procrastination refers to the action of delaying or postponing completion of a task, usually resulting in brief avoidance of psychological discomfort. Most people engage in some degree of procrastination behavior with minor psychological impact. Others engage in repeated procrastination for small and large tasks alike, which can result in significant emotional distress that is typically managed by additional means of avoidance. Most current interventions for procrastination are cognitive approaches: they aim to identify and challenge cognitive distortions, and they offer time management and organizational skills. However, many chronic procrastinators are delaying work to avoid an aversive emotional experience associated with the task, such as anxiety, shame, self-doubt, or panic. The internal and external resistance to these negative emotional experiences creates additional psychological struggle for the procrastinator, which often keeps the person further from pursuing valued behavior. This paper conceptualizes chronic procrastination as a negatively reinforced behavior and discusses use of an acceptance-based behavioral approach designed to increase psychological flexibility in the service of task completion.
Publication Statement
Copyright is held by the author. Permanently suppressed.
Extent
42 pgs
Recommended Citation
Speelman Haberman, Danielle W., "A Clinical Guide to Treating Procrastination Using Contextual Behavioral Science" (2020). Graduate School of Professional Psychology: Doctoral Papers and Masters Projects. 366.
https://digitalcommons.du.edu/capstone_masters/366