September 17, 2008
As the school year at St. John’s University begins, students
intend to succeed in their activities and life in general, but the
threat of procrastination is always near. "The best way to inhibit
procrastination is to reward people for being early and not focus
on the punishment for being late," said Joseph
R. Ferrari, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology at DePaul University
in Chicago, IL.
To kick off this year’s Academic Lecture
Series, on September 11, at St. John’s Staten Island campus,
the noted Vincent de Paul Distinguished Professor and Director of
the Masters of Science in General Psychology program, spoke to St.
John’s students and faculty about an issue most Americans struggle
with, procrastination. “Everyone procrastinates, but not everyone
is a procrastinator,” explained Dr. Ferrari, “procrastination is
the act of purposely delaying the start of something which in turn,
creates unease.”
Dr. Ferrari explained that while most people are guilty of
procrastinating at one time or another, for a large percentage of
people procrastination is a larger psychological issue called
chronic procrastination. “For 80% of the population,
procrastination is simply a time management issue, but for 20% of
people it is a chronic situation,” said Dr. Ferrari. In order for a
chronic procrastinator to become a more proactive individual, that
person must first determine if he or she is a chronic
procrastinator and then his or her specific type of
procrastination.
In the first type of chronic procrastination, a person delays
doing the work by making excuses about why they cannot complete the
task. The second type is when someone is afraid of making choices
for fear of making a wrong choice. The third type, described as
arousal/thrill procrastination, is when the procrastinator gets an
adrenaline rush from working close to deadlines and so waits until
the last minute. The last type of procrastination avoidance, is
when a person who lacks confidence in their work does not complete
the task in order to avoid others’ judgment of their work.
Dr. Ferrari believes that procrastinators can overcome
procrastination and that long-term change in personality and
behaviors is possible, “Once you identify the type of
procrastinator you are, you must begin to manage yourself from
within - plan your actions, learn to say no to distractions,
establish realistic goals and make them observable to you and
others.”
Dr. Ferrari is the author of several books and journals
including Procrastination and Task Avoidance: Theory, Research, and
Treatment and Counseling the Procrastinator in Academic
Settings.
Learn more about upcoming speakers during the Fall 2008 Academic
Lecture Series.