A Motivational Life-Span Perspective on Procrastination: The Development of Delaying Goal Pursuit Across Adulthood

Abstract

Procrastination is a common self-regulation failure that has been studied mainly in the educational context, but has been largely neglected in life-span psychology. Adopting a life-span motivational perspective, we focus on adult development and maintain that, historically seen, adults nowadays have to take on a more active role in pursuing their goals due to the deregulation of the life course and increased life expectancy. This requires higher self-regulatory skills, particularly with increasing age. When self-regulation fails, people may postpone developmental goals and experience negative consequences. We propose research questions that might foster the understanding of procrastination from a life-span perspective.

Notes

1. We do not elaborate on procrastination in childhood and adolescence in this paper. Note, however, that little is known about the development of procrastination and its manifestation in these life phases. For effects of parenting on children’s procrastination, see Pychyl, Coplan, and Reid (2002), and Won and Yu (2018). For the neurobiological underpinnings of procrastination, see Steel (2010). For the role of motivation in relations between self-efficacy and procrastination in children, see Katz, Eilot, and Nevo (2014).