Impulsivity

Orbitofrontal cortex, part of the prefrontal cortex that shapes decision-making

In psychology, impulsivity (or impulsiveness) is a tendency to act on a whim, displaying behavior characterized by little or no forethought, reflection, or consideration of the consequences.[1] Impulsive actions are typically "poorly conceived, prematurely expressed, unduly risky, or inappropriate to the situation that often result in undesirable consequences,"[2] which imperil long-term goals and strategies for success.[3] Impulsivity can be classified as a multifactorial construct.[4] A functional variety of impulsivity has also been suggested, which involves action without much forethought in appropriate situations that can and does result in desirable consequences. "When such actions have positive outcomes, they tend not to be seen as signs of impulsivity, but as indicators of boldness, quickness, spontaneity, courageousness, or unconventionality."[2][5] Thus, the construct of impulsivity includes at least two independent components: first, acting without an appropriate amount of deliberation,[2] which may or may not be functional; and second, choosing short-term gains over long-term ones.[6]

Impulsivity is both a facet of personality and a major component of various disorders, including FASD, ADHD,[7] substance use disorders,[8][9] bipolar disorder,[10] antisocial personality disorder,[11] and borderline personality disorder.[10] Abnormal patterns of impulsivity have also been noted in instances of acquired brain injury[12] and neurodegenerative diseases.[13] Neurobiological findings suggest that there are specific brain regions involved in impulsive behavior,[14][15][16] although different brain networks may contribute to different manifestations of impulsivity,[17][18] and that genetics may play a role.[19]

Many actions contain both impulsive and compulsive features, but impulsivity and compulsivity are functionally distinct. Impulsivity and compulsivity are interrelated in that each exhibits a tendency to act prematurely or without considered thought and often include negative outcomes.[20][21] Compulsivity may be on a continuum with compulsivity on one end and impulsivity on the other, but research has been contradictory on this point.[22] Compulsivity occurs in response to a perceived risk or threat, impulsivity occurs in response to a perceived immediate gain or benefit,[20] and, whereas compulsivity involves repetitive actions, impulsivity involves unplanned reactions.

Impulsivity is a common feature of the conditions of gambling and alcohol addiction. Research has shown that individuals with either of these addictions discount delayed money at higher rates than those without, and that the presence of gambling and alcohol abuse lead to additive effects on discounting.[23]

  1. ^ VandenBos, G. R. (2007). APA dictionary of psychology. Washington, DC: APA. p. 470. ISBN 9781591473800.
  2. ^ a b c Daruna, J. H.; Barnes, P. A. (1993). "A neurodevelopmental view of impulsivity". In McCown, William George; Johnson, Judith L.; Shure, Myrna B. (eds.). The Impulsive Client: Theory, Research, and Treatment. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. pp. 23–37. doi:10.1037/10500-002. ISBN 978-1-55798-208-7.
  3. ^ Madden, Gregory J.; Johnson, Patrick S. (2010). "A Delay-Discounting Primer". In Madden, Gregory Jude; Bickel, Warren K. (eds.). Impulsivity: The Behavioral and Neurological Science of Discounting. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. pp. 11–37. ISBN 978-1-4338-0477-9.
  4. ^ Evenden, J. L. (1999). "Varieties of impulsivity". Psychopharmacology. 146 (4): 348–61. doi:10.1007/PL00005481. PMID 10550486. S2CID 5972342.
  5. ^ Dickman, Scott J. (1990). "Functional and dysfunctional impulsivity: Personality and cognitive correlates". Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 58 (1): 95–102. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.58.1.95. PMID 2308076. S2CID 34912306.
  6. ^ Rachlin, Howard (2000). "Self-Control as an Abstraction of Environmental Feedback". The Science of Self-Control. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. p. 183. ISBN 978-0-674-00093-3.
  7. ^ Nigg, Joel T. (2001). "Is ADHD a disinhibitory disorder?". Psychological Bulletin. 127 (5): 571–98. doi:10.1037/0033-2909.127.5.571. PMID 11548968.
  8. ^ Lane, Scott D.; Cherek, Don R.; Rhoades, Howard M.; Pietras, Cynthia J.; Tcheremissine, Oleg V. (2003). "Relationships Among Laboratory and Psychometric Measures of Impulsivity: Implications in Substance Abuse and Dependence". Addictive Disorders & Their Treatment. 2 (2): 33–40. doi:10.1097/00132576-200302020-00001. S2CID 143129215.
  9. ^ Madden, G.J.; Petry, N.M.; Badger, G.J.; Bickel, W. K. (1997). "Impulsive and self-control choices in opioid-dependent patients and non-drug-using control patients: Drug and monetary rewards". Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology. 5 (3): 256–62. doi:10.1037/1064-1297.5.3.256. PMID 9260073.
  10. ^ a b Henry, Chantal; Mitropoulou, Vivian; New, Antonia S; Koenigsberg, Harold W; Silverman, Jeremy; Siever, Larry J (2001). "Affective instability and impulsivity in borderline personality and bipolar II disorders: Similarities and differences". Journal of Psychiatric Research. 35 (6): 307–12. doi:10.1016/S0022-3956(01)00038-3. PMID 11684137.
  11. ^ Horn, N.R.; Dolan, M.; Elliott, R.; Deakin, J.F.W.; Woodruff, P.W.R. (2003). "Response inhibition and impulsivity: An fMRI study". Neuropsychologia. 41 (14): 1959–66. doi:10.1016/S0028-3932(03)00077-0. PMID 14572528. S2CID 31957781.
  12. ^ Dixon, Mark R.; Jacobs, Eric A.; Sanders, Scott; Guercio, John M.; Soldner, James; Parker-Singler, Susan; Robinson, Ashton; Small, Stacey; Dillen, Jeffrey E. (2005). "Impulsivity, self-control, and delay discounting in persons with acquired brain injury". Behavioral Interventions. 20 (1): 101–20. doi:10.1002/bin.173.
  13. ^ Gleichgerrcht, Ezequiel; Ibáñez, Agustín; Roca, María; Torralva, Teresa; Manes, Facundo (2010). "Decision-making cognition in neurodegenerative diseases". Nature Reviews Neurology. 6 (11): 611–23. doi:10.1038/nrneurol.2010.148. PMID 21045795. S2CID 13333018.
  14. ^ Corsini, Raymond Joseph (1999). The Dictionary of Psychology. Psychology Press. p. 476. ISBN 1-58391-028-X.
  15. ^ Berlin, H. A.; Rolls, E. T.; Kischka, U (2004). "Impulsivity, time perception, emotion and reinforcement sensitivity in patients with orbitofrontal cortex lesions". Brain. 127 (5): 1108–26. doi:10.1093/brain/awh135. PMID 14985269.
  16. ^ Salmond, C.H.; Menon, D.K.; Chatfield, D.A.; Pickard, J.D.; Sahakian, B.J. (2005). "Deficits in Decision-Making in Head Injury Survivors". Journal of Neurotrauma. 22 (6): 613–22. doi:10.1089/neu.2005.22.613. PMID 15941371.
  17. ^ Hampton WH, Venkatraman V, Olson IR (2017). "Dissociable frontostriatal white matter connectivity underlies reward and motor impulsivity". NeuroImage. 150 (4): 336–343. doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2017.02.021. PMC 5494201. PMID 28189592.
  18. ^ Whelan, Robert; Conrod, Patricia J; Poline, Jean-Baptiste; Lourdusamy, Anbarasu; Banaschewski, Tobias; Barker, Gareth J; Bellgrove, Mark A; Büchel, Christian; et al. (2012). "Adolescent impulsivity phenotypes characterized by distinct brain networks". Nature Neuroscience. 15 (6): 920–5. doi:10.1038/nn.3092. PMID 22544311. S2CID 18808674.
  19. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  20. ^ a b Berlin, Heather A.; Hollander, Eric (July 1, 2008). "Understanding the Differences Between Impulsivity and Compulsivity". Psychiatric Times. Psychiatric Times Vol 25 No 8. 25 (8). Archived from the original on December 3, 2013.
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  22. ^ Engel, Scott G.; Corneliussen, Stephanie J.; Wonderlich, Stephen A.; Crosby, Ross D.; Le Grange, Daniel; Crow, Scott; Klein, Marjorie; Bardone-Cone, Anna; et al. (2005). "Impulsivity and compulsivity in bulimia nervosa". International Journal of Eating Disorders. 38 (3): 244–51. doi:10.1002/eat.20169. PMID 16211626.
  23. ^ Andrade, Leonardo F.; Alessi, Sheila M.; Petry, Nancy M. (2013). "The Effects of Alcohol Problems and Smoking on Delay Discounting in Individuals with Gambling Problems". Journal of Psychoactive Drugs. 45 (3). Informa UK Limited: 241–248. doi:10.1080/02791072.2013.803645. ISSN 0279-1072. PMC 3816387. PMID 24175489.