What Is Procrastination?

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Procrastination is an archetypal pattern of human behavior.

Accepting life's routine tedium can help in conquering procrastination.

Overcoming procrastination requires conscious, mindful presence.

This is Part 2 of a series about procrastination.

In Part 1 of this series, we discussed the phenomenon of procrastination, its causes and vicissitudes. Procrastination is one of the most ubiquitous complaints psychotherapists hear from clients or patients. What is the underlying psychology of procrastination? And how can it be conquered?

Dealing With the Unconscious "Inner Child"

Commonly, procrastination stems from an unconscious conflict between our mature and responsible "adult self," who knows what needs to be done, and our irresponsible and impulsive "inner child." (See my prior post.) As with real children, without adequate adult supervision and guidance, the "inner child" will naturally resist tedium or routine, preferring fun, entertaining, pleasurable, stimulating activities instead.

This is natural and in keeping with Freud's (1911) concept of the pleasure principle: We instinctively avoid pain and seek pleasure. If an activity or task is not fun, fascinating, engaging, or pleasurable, why do it? Children must be disciplined, motivated, or coerced to do tedious chores like cleaning their rooms, brushing their teeth, doing their homework, etc. This is a fundamental part of parenting. It is the same for grown-ups, since if there is not a well-developed and conscious adult part of the personality to oversee, supervise, and lovingly discipline the impetuous inner child, difficult, tedious or boring chores will be avoided as long as humanly possible, because it is the unconscious so-called "inner child," rather than the adult self, who is running the show or calling the shots.

In therapy, the patient must become more conscious of these disparate parts of themselves, these complexes, and the more mature, adult part of the personality must take charge of properly parenting and disciplining the inner child and making........

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