How to understand an impulsive person. Impulsive character

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Impulsivity is the ability to make quick and spontaneous decisions without taking into account negative consequences. This character trait is a consequence of self-confident categoricalness and impatience. An impulsive person is guided more often by feelings and emotions than by reason. This set of qualities gives rise to unconscious tactlessness and rudeness, harshness and temper.

This behavior complicates the individual’s relationships with the people around him - relatives, friends, work colleagues. An impulsive person can, due to an excessive emotional outburst, burn too much of his own psychophysical energy, after which he experiences weakness and fatigue.

Energetic and explosive people have this character trait. They say about them that they act first and think later. An impulsive person is usually a poor conversationalist. Having asked, he does not listen to the answer. His thoughts jump from one object to another. He can be overly talkative, but he doesn’t care much whether his interlocutor listens to him or not.

A classic example of such an impulsive character is the hero of Gogol’s poem “ Dead Souls"landowner Nozdryov. This one never thought about his actions. And if any thought flashed in his brain, he immediately began to act, not in the least in accordance with human logic. He often became the initiator of fights and conflicts, could lose to smithereens, and never drew the right conclusions from his actions.

Children and adolescents are more likely to exhibit unmotivated impulsiveness. Most of them, with age, acquire the ability to analyze their actions and to act logically. But some remain prone to such behavior throughout their lives. An impulsive person is often eccentric, that is, prone to strange, unusual behavior.

Impulsive behavior can be triggered by stress or some unusual situation. It is under the influence of such events that an impulsive reaction can flare up even in completely adequate and reasonable people in a calm and familiar environment. It is also not uncommon for situations where nervous tension accumulates over a long period of time, fueled by jealousy, anger, melancholy, envy and other circumstances, in order to one day burst out in an outbreak of impulsive actions. Under the influence of the latter, crimes are committed, while the culprit himself is not always able to explain why he committed this act.

But if this kind of reaction is of a random one-time nature, then impulsive behavior is the norm of life for such an individual. This behavior is often a consequence of emotional and mental instability, lack of adequate reactions, which has already become habitual. Impulsivity and inappropriate actions can be influenced by a state of intoxication. Often, impulsive actions are committed because of the individual’s desire to assert himself, ensuring his superiority over others, or simply because of the desire to throw out accumulated negative emotions.

Erofeevskaya Natalya

We are all different people: some take it for granted and feel comfortable to weigh every step in life many times over, while others are capable of making serious, life-determining decisions on the fly. Among a wide range of bright human character traits, impulsiveness stands out - this is the tendency of a particular individual to act quickly and rashly, when only one’s own motives, emotions, circumstances and people nearby are taken as a basis.

Surely everyone in their own environment has met such a person: he does not think about his actions, speech, decisions, he instantly reacts to circumstances and the actions of other people, but this haste often makes him repent of his own behavior. Impulsivity is typical for children - preschoolers or children of primary school age cannot yet give an adequate assessment of their actions, and therefore do not bother much about thinking about them. For teenagers, impulsivity can be a consequence of increased emotional and hormonal excitability. Impulsivity in adults manifests itself in neuroses, overwork, states of passion and in some diseases.

Impulsivity comes in different forms and, depending on the degree of manifestation, can cause slight inconvenience to its owner or become a real problem in his life and environment. Impulsive behavior ranges from mild expressions of dissatisfaction, hasty decisions and rapid return of self-control to painful impulsive manifestations:

kleptomania (craving for theft);
gambling addiction (compulsive gambling);
fetishism and other manifestations of impulsive sexual behavior;
anorexia or, conversely, overeating, etc.

Impulsive person

Weigh the pros and cons? – no, this is not about an impulsive person. And he is also beyond the control of even a momentary reflection on his actions, and it is this factor that distinguishes an impulsive personality from a decisive one. In both cases, there is a quick and energetic reaction, but for impulsive people it is more likely to have a minus sign than a plus - just as quickly as they do, they repent of their rash and inappropriate actions.

How do you know if you are an impulsive person? There are several signs that determine the manifestations and tendency to impulsiveness:

previously unnoticed things and people in the environment begin to irritate;
emerging neuroses, stress, inability to cope with one’s own excited psychological state;
“starting up half a turn” is now not a problem at all;
– from melancholy to unreasonable aggression;
After a successful manifestation of a rash act or actions caused by impulsiveness, a person feels satisfied.

If impulsivity begins to create serious problems that a person cannot cope with on his own, it is recommended to seek specialized help. Psychologists and psychotherapists will be able to professionally assess the patient’s condition, and questionnaires and tests will specify the problem. It is imperative to fight the impulsiveness that subjugates a person: this will straighten out relationships with others and increase the quality of a person’s life. In case of serious problems and in accordance with the reasons that caused impulsiveness, medical specialists will recommend individual (under personal characteristics patient) treatment method.

Female impulsiveness

If you look at gender, women for the most part are much more impulsive and this is understandable: emotional, without sufficient conscious control, they are driven by their own impulses without logical planning of consequences. This does not apply to every girl or woman: some sensible ladies, when buying their fiftieth blouse, try on another twenty, and, for example, having their own baby in a stroller adds a sense of responsibility to a woman, forcing mommy to work on herself.

Women are more emotional creatures than men, and therefore more susceptible to a psycho-emotional state, which is impulsiveness. For women, and for any other person, impulsiveness can create considerable problems at work, in close relationships, in raising children - negative impulsiveness requires you to “let off steam”, and therefore an impulsive person (regardless of gender) is advised to understand himself and understand the reasons the emergence of this state and learn to master it.

How to get rid of impulsiveness?

If you do not pay attention to the first signs of impulsiveness in time, it will short time will develop into a persistent character trait and become a stumbling block in relationships with other people - after all, they are not interested in the reasons, they only see their unpleasant manifestation. What to do with impulsiveness and how to get rid of it? We offer simple ways:

Relieving nervous tension and fighting stress: meditation, SPA treatments and massages, pleasant hobbies, sports and visiting the pool, even shopping - everything that will allow you to return emotional condition back on track and will not allow the genie of impulsiveness to break out.
It is recommended to set specific achievable goals for deadlines: do you need renovations in your apartment, but don’t have the money? – renovate the apartment gradually; Don’t have time to go to a water park with your child? – a walk in the nearest park on skis will be a good alternative; Did your relatives and friends get you? - turn off your phone after 21:00 and enjoy or read a book.

3. Impulsivity can manifest itself due to a banal lack of time: endless requests from relatives, demands from superiors, children demanding attention - where to find the necessary time for all this? And now even an efficient woman turns into a twitchy monkey who has no time to even look at herself in the mirror. When should we sit down and calmly think about pressing matters? In this case, healthy selfishness will help:

you can calmly explain to relatives that they themselves are able to choose a new leash for their dog in the store;
You can’t argue much with your superiors, but an adequate superior person will listen to healthy arguments and take note;
You can’t put children aside, but for them there will certainly be an interesting activity that can occupy children’s brains and hands for at least a couple of hours.

4. and impulsiveness are concepts that, to some extent, peacefully coexist exactly until the moment when the latter develops into hot temper and hysteria. Psychologists in such cases recommend starting from the root causes (lack of attention and sex, fear of losing someone loved one etc.) and talk with your partner about problems arising in the relationship.

5. Find the causative agent of the problem that causes this state: it certainly exists, and when it is eliminated, the emotional background will become calmer and more balanced, and the rationality of thoughts and actions will not take long to arrive.

In any case, it should be remembered: impulsivity is not a disease with a critical diagnosis, but an emotional and mental state of the individual, which, under the influence of circumstances and environment, can arise in anyone. Depending on the situation, impulsiveness becomes a defense or turns into attack and aggression. It suddenly appears and just as suddenly goes away. She is easily provoked, but is subject to control if she works on her own behavior.

March 25, 2014

In his life, every person meets people with different characters. Have you ever dealt with a person who amazed you with his inconstancy? Such people, as a rule, tend to change their minds quite quickly; they are characterized by instant mood swings.

It would seem that he was just smiling and in a great mood, when suddenly something affects his mood, and aggression and discontent appear. These people also amaze with their lightning-fast decisions. What explains this human behavior? In psychology this is called impulsivity.

Impulsivity is a feature of human character, manifested in the tendency to make decisions without thinking through the consequences. Impulsive people are guided in their behavior not by reason, but by emotions and temporary circumstances.

More often than not, this behavior only leads to Negative consequences. This is due to the lack of restraint, temper and harshness that such people often exhibit. In other words, we can say that impulsive actions are actions performed without taking into account the consequences, without prior thought.

Some people confuse impulsiveness with decisiveness; this is a very common misconception. However, the difference between these two conditions is great. Decisive individuals are firmly confident in their decision or action, and this confidence also extends to the result of their activity.

Impulsive individuals are characterized by the fact that they take actions first and then consider the consequences. Such people tend to end up disappointed, which can result in them feeling remorse or making the situation even more difficult.

Varieties

It is common for every person to sometimes show impulsiveness, but for some individuals this becomes the norm. Impulsive states have several varieties and may also indicate some psychological diseases:

Pyromania is an attraction to arson.
Kleptomania is a craving for theft.
Food impulsiveness – manifests itself in various interactions with food.
Gambling addiction is a predisposition to gambling.

These are just some of the psychological conditions when the human mind cannot resist its desires. Impulsive decisions are often the result of poor self-control. The distinctive features of such people are increased activity and explosive character.

These are bad conversationalists: conversation with such people can be difficult and often does not have a specific topic, as they tend to quickly switch between different topics. When asking a question, they do not wait for an answer and can speak long time, even if they are no longer listened to.

Impulsivity also varies according to the situations in which it occurs:

Motivated - in this case it is caused by stressful situations, when even quite adequate people can show an unexpected reaction to circumstances. This has happened to everyone, and it is not a cause for concern.
Unmotivated - when strange and unusual reactions to what is happening become the norm for this person. In this case, the abnormal behavior is not episodic and is repeated quite often, which leads to some psychological diseases.

This condition can occur in both children and adults. However, for children, psychologists do not define this as a diagnosis, since children are not always inclined to think about their decisions and take responsibility for them. But in adults this is already a deviation from accepted standards behavior.

Very often, impulsive behavior can be observed in adolescents. This is understandable: various stresses at such a critical age are often the cause of unreasonable behavior. It could also be emotional excitement or overwork.

Sometimes teenagers induce this condition artificially, the reason for this is stubbornness and the desire to show independence. Impulsive states in adults are a psychological deviation only if they occur very often and the person himself is not capable of self-control.

Advantages and disadvantages

An impulsive state causes a negative attitude in many people. This is due to the fact that people equate the word “impulsiveness” with concepts such as irritability, unreliability, and short temper. Of course, these properties can accompany impulsive manifestations, but this condition also has its own strengths:

1. Fast decision making. It should not be confused with decisiveness, but it is the positive side of the impulsive state. Such individuals tend to adapt quickly. Usually they are indispensable in situations where circumstances change quickly and decisions need to be made, adapting to them.

2. Intuition. This state also develops intuition. Each of us would be glad to have an intuitive character or to have such a person nearby. Intuition is a very strong side of character that helps us in life.

3. Explicit emotionality. Impulsive states imply a person's openness. Such individuals do not hide their emotions. This can also be considered a positive feature. The better you understand a person’s emotional state, the easier your relationship with him will be. An impulsive person will never show hidden intentions.

4. Truthfulness. This is perhaps the most important positive aspect of an impulsive state. People who are prone to impulsiveness rarely lie. Lying is more common among those who have a calm and reasonable character. With increased emotionality, it is difficult to hide the truth. Any manifestation of deceit is highly undesirable for an impulsive person, since sooner or later emotions will take over and he will express everything.

Impulsive states have a number of advantages, as we have already understood. However, along with this, they are also associated with a number of negative points. These include common mistakes. Taking quick solutions, a person makes rash actions, which more often leads to mistakes.

The downside of an impulsive state is that an individual’s mood often changes, and you will never understand what is controlling him at the moment and what to expect in the next moment. And since every individual strives for order and constancy, an emotional person is the cause of discomfort.

This also manifests itself in relationships: it is difficult to experience romantic feelings with such people - sometimes he loves and adores you, sometimes he gets angry because of minor misunderstandings. Since it is impossible to predict the behavior of an impulsive person, it is very problematic to adapt to him.

However, communicating with such a person also has its advantages. This is a very adventurous personality, and you can be sure that you will always receive support in unexpected decisions. Also, the open emotionality of such a person can help you learn to grasp many factors that influence his mood, and use this for your own purposes in the future.

At the same time, you should not trust him unconditionally: impulsive people tend to change their minds often and do not always keep their promises. It is worth remembering that an impulsive individual will never act as an aggressor. If you encounter an emotionally aggressive person, then most likely he is a mentally unstable person.

Impulsivity cannot be good or bad. This is a condition that has both positive and negative sides. An impulsive person must use his strengths and pay a lot of attention to working on his weak traits.

Impulsive personality type

The impulsive personality type is characterized by emotional imbalance, impulsivity, low self-control, and an increased tendency to aggressive outbursts.

Such people often perform actions or deeds without any purpose or intention, they are rather guided by spontaneous desires or whims, which can have serious consequences. For example, a man may be walking down the street and throw a stone at the window. He explains his action by saying that he just wanted to do it. Also, a person may understand that this should not be done, but feels that he cannot do “anything” with himself, thus justifying his behavior. That is, in in this case, he actually doesn’t want to do anything with himself, and uses such excuses to shift responsibility to something that is “stronger” than him. For example, a man stole a woman’s bag, and during the investigation he states that he did not plan to do this, but the bag looked so “successful” that he simply could not restrain himself.

The actions of an impulsive person are very fast (the time between the emergence of a desire and its satisfaction is very short), spontaneous (appears very unexpectedly and also disappears) and unplanned (the person did not plan to do it).

In an ordinary person, a whim arises when it corresponds to the basic desires and goals of a person, and thus stimulates him to further actions. For example, a woman who loves to dance accidentally saw an advertisement about a performance by her favorite group. She suddenly wanted to attend it, and when she satisfied this whim, she had a desire to take up dancing more seriously, which was the incentive to enroll in a dance school. This incentive helped to get excellent results in class. For an impulsive person, a whim remains a whim; it does not stimulate him to achieve great goals and is not “woven” into the structure of his main interests. For example, a desire arises to buy a car, and a person instantly satisfies his ego, and then the purchased purchase remains in the garage almost all the time, because it is easier for a person to travel by public transport or taxi.

This happens for the reason that impulsive people have very little interest in the world around them: they do not have good friends and close relationships, work does not bring much pleasure, they also do not think or dream much about the future, the cultural side of life is not exciting or interesting. This is the main reason for impulsiveness. An ordinary person, when an impulsive whim arises, compares it with his basic desires, and if they diverge, he finds the strength to endure the inconvenience of an unsatisfied momentary whim for the sake of something more. For example, if a person at this moment wants a car, but at the same time he has an even greater desire to build a house, he will think that at this moment he can use this money to satisfy his dream (invest in construction), and will travel by public transport . And for him this is not a problem, since he is focused on a more global goal. An impulsive person, due to the lack of such goals, cannot tolerate inconvenience and therefore always follows his momentary whims.

The positive side of this type is a certain spontaneity, which can generate new and original ideas, which cannot always be achieved only with the help of intellect.

An impulsive personality is not used to critically analyzing events. If the decision-making pattern of an ordinary person is as follows: impression - analysis of information - comparison of different options, choosing the best - action, then for an impulsive person it is as follows: impression - action.

Such a person sees in his surroundings only what has impressed and captivated him, but at the same time does not notice the negative sides of these things. He copes with present problems and tasks very easily, but regarding his future he may be helpless. For such people, what is happening at the moment comes to the fore; they do not look into the future, and do not compare current actions with results. For example, ordinary people Before getting married, they meet for a while, study each other, and only then decide to take a serious step. But impulsive people can, at the very first meeting, become so carried away by someone else that after a few days they run to the Civil Registry Office, and then, not being ready for family life, after another short time, submit to ra h water

An impulsive personality is a person who can be creative and make quick decisions, but often these decisions are not objective and not well thought out.

Impulsivity psychology character trait

It's no secret that a woman is a very emotional creature. She rarely thinks with her mind, her emotions flow over the edge. And only later can she think about what she did and what she said. But this may be a later realization of a fait accompli. What should a woman do with her impulsive and emotional character?

Impulsivity is a psychological character trait. Impulsivity as a character trait is that a woman always knows the answer to any question (even if it is wrong). As soon as problems arise along the way, the woman immediately goes into a counterattack and begins her “combat” actions. Although in his right mind he understands that this cannot be done and that more reasonable solutions must be applied, he cannot help himself.

And how easy it is to draw conclusions in a hurry without thinking about the results of these conclusions. True, when the emotions subsided and the mind turned on. The woman understands her rash step. But it is very difficult to turn back time and correct a mistake. How to learn to treat situations correctly, not to solve everything at once and with a hot head.

An impulsive woman is in many ways like a small, unreasonable child. She's like a stupid child, she should just own emotions and fleeting impulses to action. In this case, most often he does not realize what he has done, neither what he says, nor what he does.

But still, there are positive traits in impulsiveness:

touchiness does not mean rancor and vindictiveness;

a bad mood lasts only a short time;

decision making occurs in a matter of minutes;

there is always a ready answer to all questions;

actually assumes all responsibility;

all problems that arise click like nuts.

These qualities are available to few. But, unfortunately, such manners of a fast car do not always lead to good things. She causes a lot of trouble not so much to others as to herself. The consequences of deeds and words do not always go unpunished, because in most cases they are offensive and contrary to the general set of rules.

In order not to disturb the peace in the environment. You need to learn to slow down when turning. Before. Before you say something or make some important decision, you need to count to 10 and back and only then open your beautiful mouth to express your next decision.

If a woman cannot stop herself, she will need the help of others. We need to come to an agreement with family and friends. So that they help control their emotions with certain conditioned signals. Which they will serve at that moment. When a woman starts to “cut from the shoulder” again. It can be different signs from the word “stop” to clapping your hands. By stopping, a woman will be able to evaluate her words and actions.

It is very difficult to curb your own impulsiveness and emotionality. It will not be possible to solve this difficult problem right away. Close women and those around you most likely know about this character trait and try to treat it with loyalty to what is said and done. But unfamiliar people may be frightened by such inappropriate behavior, and this may simply throw them into a stupor. An impulsive person must immediately inform others and unfamiliar people about his character trait, so as not to harm himself. And learn to apologize for what you did during the heat of the moment.

And the most important thing is to remember that you can correct what you have done. Just need to find Right words. For example, you made a rash decision, the next day or after some time, you can refer to the rash decision and make another more reasonable one and weigh the pros and cons.

Constant work on yourself will lead to positive results.

Strengths of an impulsive person and working on mistakes

Greetings, my dear readers! Have you ever met people who change their minds very quickly, easily move from joy to anger, and their smile instantly gives way to a grin? What does an impulsive person mean, what are his strengths and weak sides and what is the best way to establish contact with such a person? Today I will answer all these questions and tell you what to do if you suffer from your impulsiveness.

pros

Most often, if they tell you “he is an impulsive person,” then you will initially treat him with a slight shade of negativity. Why is this happening?

Because impulsivity is more associated with a negative assessment: unreliability, ambiguity, short temper, irritability, and so on. But we'll talk about the disadvantages later. Let's try to understand the strengths of an impulsive person.

An impulsive nature allows a person to make decisions quickly. After all, most often such people quickly react to external circumstances. Thus, we get a person who will perfectly adapt to a rapidly changing environment.

Quick decision making, in turn, develops intuition, which greatly helps in life. Agree, a person with more developed intuition is more likely to achieve success. What skill can be compared to intuition? Probably none.

You will immediately know what emotion an impulsive person is experiencing. Have you ever met people who have nothing written on their face and it is completely impossible to understand what they are feeling right now? This cannot happen to an impulsive person.

If he is angry, then you will understand it perfectly. And the better you understand other people’s emotions, the easier it is for you to communicate with a person. Therefore, when such a person is angry, you can simply not approach him at that moment. And wait until he comes to a calm and balanced state.

An impulsive person is a bad liar. To lie well, you need to have composure and calmness. An emotional person will definitely miss and will not complete the lie. Therefore, most often such people do not even resort to lies. Suspicious manipulations will be clearly visible in their behavior.

Minuses

However, for all their strengths, impulsive people also have a number of problems. When committing impulsive actions, a person may make a mistake due to the fact that he thought poorly and did not consider all the options. possible consequences. Making a quick decision definitely helps, but not in all situations.

Such people are dangerous because of their lightning-fast mood swings, and it is not always clear who is the cause of anger or sadness. A person subconsciously strives for order and constancy. Therefore, communicating with such emotional people can be annoying and infuriating.

Emotional people really often let you down. You agreed on a meeting, prepared everything for it, spent time, effort, and maybe money. But the man did not come, simply because he changed his mind. Unreliability is perhaps the strongest disadvantage of an impulsive person.

It is very difficult to be in a romantic relationship with such a person. Today he is madly in love, and tomorrow he is angry over a trifle, a couple of hours later he is offended, and a second later he kisses you deeply.

It is simply impossible to predict the behavior of such a person. And this, again, does not fit into a person’s desire for consistency and constancy.

If you are such a person and this bothers you, then do not despair. Everything can be changed, changed and become calmer. If emotions interfere with your life, then be sure to read the article “How to become emotionally stable.”

Don't believe that you can change yourself? Then I have another article for you: “How to change yourself and your character.”

How to deal with an impulsive person

Understanding an impulsive person is not as difficult as it might seem at first glance. There are things that piss him off, and there are those that bring him joy and happiness. And since he does not hide his emotions, an observant person will quickly understand what exactly should not be done or said.

Communicating with an emotional person has its advantages. For example, such people are more likely to agree to adventurous proposals; they are more willing to travel around the world or go to the mountains with you. But they can easily abandon the idea at the last moment.

Should not be placed great hopes on the promise of such people. Their mood will change, they may change their mind. Therefore, it is worth listening, but not trusting completely. After all, with them everything depends on the mood and emotional state.

But an impulsive person rarely acts as an aggressor, unlike, for example, a mentally unstable person. If you come across the second option and you absolutely do not understand how to interact with it, then the article “Who is a mentally unbalanced person” will be useful to you. It is necessary to communicate with such a person with special caution.

Impulsivity is neither bad nor good. It has both positive and negative aspects.

If you are an impulsive person, then you have the opportunity to use your strengths, but do not forget to work on your weaknesses.

Do you make decisions quickly? What can set you off and how quickly will it happen? Do you forgive offenses easily? Do you consider yourself an emotional person?

An impulsive person is.

Impulsive person - who is he?

Impulsivity (Latin impulses - push, urge) is a feature of human behavior (in stable forms - a character trait), consisting in a tendency to act on the first impulse, under the influence of external circumstances or emotions. An impulsive person does not think about his actions, does not weigh the pros and cons, he reacts quickly and directly and often just as quickly repents of his actions. Determination should be distinguished from I., which also presupposes a quick and energetic reaction, but is associated with thinking about the situation and making the most appropriate and informed decisions.

Impulsivity is a character trait, a tendency to act without sufficient conscious control, under the influence of external circumstances or due to emotional experiences. As an age-related feature, I. manifests itself primarily in children of preschool and primary school age, which is due to the insufficient development of the Behavior control function. With normal development, this form of I. is quite optimally corrected in joint games of children, in which the fulfillment of role rules requires restraining one’s immediate impulses and taking into account the interests of others. playing, and also somewhat later - in educational activities. Upon reaching adolescence, I. can again manifest itself as an age-related feature, associated with an increase in emotional excitability. I. contributes to the spontaneous emergence of conflicts with others in situations that are not objectively conflict-prone. To diagnose I., special tests and questionnaires are used, for example. J. Kagan's test and I. Eysenck's questionnaire.

Impulsivity is a painful form of behavior in which the patient’s actions are performed in connection with irresistible drives, impulses, occur violently, automatically, and are not controlled by consciousness.

impulsiveness

Brief explanatory psychological and psychiatric dictionary. Ed. igisheva. 2008.

Dictionary practical psychologist. - M.: AST, Harvest. S. Yu. Golovin. 1998.

Psychological Dictionary. THEM. Kondakov. 2000.

Large psychological dictionary. - M.: Prime-EUROZNAK. Ed. B.G. Meshcheryakova, acad. V.P. Zinchenko. 2003.

Popular psychological encyclopedia. - M.: Eksmo. S.S. Stepanov. 2005.

See what “impulsivity” is in other dictionaries:

Impulsivity is a character trait expressed in the tendency to act without sufficient conscious control, under the influence of external circumstances or due to emotional experiences. As an age-related feature, impulsivity manifests itself predominantly ... Psychological Dictionary

impulsiveness - impetuosity, nervousness, abruptness, involuntariness Dictionary of Russian synonyms. impulsiveness noun, number of synonyms: 5 explosive character (1) ... Dictionary of synonyms

IMPULSIVITY - IMPULSIVITY, impulsivity, many. no, female (book). distracted noun to impulsive. Ushakov's explanatory dictionary. D.N. Ushakov. ... Ushakov's Explanatory Dictionary

impulsiveness - IMPULSIVE, oh, oh; ven, vna (book). Ozhegov's explanatory dictionary. S.I. Ozhegov, N.Yu. Shvedova. ... Ozhegov's Explanatory Dictionary

IMPULSIVITY - (from Latin im.pu.l sivus prompted) English. impulsivity; German Impulsivitat. A character trait manifested in intemperance, a tendency to act on the first impulse. I. may be a consequence of lack of self-control, age-related characteristics and... ... Encyclopedia of Sociology

Impulsivity - (Latin - push) - a moral and ethical quality of a person, manifested as a tendency to act under the influence of the first impulse (impulse), spontaneously, suddenly, unmotivated and not amenable to control. Impulsivity also manifests itself as... ... Fundamentals of spiritual culture ( encyclopedic Dictionary teacher)

IMPULSIVITY - See reflexivity, impulsivity ... Explanatory Dictionary of Psychology

impulsiveness - impulsyvumas statusas T sritis Kūno kultūra ir sportas apibrėžtis Charakterio bruožas, pasireiškiantis staigiais, neapgalvotais veiksmais, nevaldomu elgesiu. kilmė plg. impulsas atitikmenys: engl. impulsiveness vok. Impulsivität, f rus.… …Sporto terminų žodynas

impulsiveness - impulsyvumas statusas T sritis Kūno kultūra ir sportas apibrėžtis Polinkis veikti iš karto, po pirmos paskatos (impulso), nesvarstant, negalvojant. Impulsyvumu pasižymi cholerikai. kilmė plg. impulsas atitikmenys: engl. impulsiveness vok.… …Sporto terminų žodynas

impulsiveness is a form of behavior caused by illness, personality traits or the current situation in which actions arise in connection with irresistible drives, impulses and proceed violently without top level control... ...Big medical dictionary

Impulsivity - what is it? How do you know if you are an impulsive person?

Impulsivity is acting on impulse based on emotion.

kleptomania (craving for theft);
gambling addiction (compulsive gambling);
fetishism and other manifestations of impulsive sexual behavior;
anorexia or, conversely, overeating, etc.

Impulsive person

How do you know if you are an impulsive person? There are several signs that determine the manifestations and tendency to impulsiveness:

previously unnoticed things and people in the environment begin to irritate;
emerging neuroses, stress, inability to cope with one’s own excited psychological state;
“starting up half a turn” is now not a problem at all;
mood swings - from melancholy to unreasonable aggression;
After a successful manifestation of a rash act or actions caused by impulsiveness, a person feels satisfied.

Impulsivity rarely occurs on its own - it always has a reason

Psychologists note the manifestation of impulsivity as a sign of unresolved problems in childhood. Parents who are too strict, prohibitions, and demands from an active child for restraint and calmness will further develop into a discrepancy between the externally educated and internally natural, and have every chance of turning into emotional distress for a personality rich in emotions.

If impulsivity begins to create serious problems that a person cannot cope with on his own, it is recommended to seek specialized help. Psychologists and psychotherapists will be able to professionally assess the patient’s condition, and questionnaires and tests will specify the problem. It is imperative to fight the impulsiveness that subjugates a person: this will straighten out relationships with others and increase the quality of a person’s life. In case of serious problems and in accordance with the reasons that caused impulsivity, medical specialists will recommend an individual (according to the patient’s personal characteristics) treatment method.

Female impulsiveness

Women's impulsiveness is short-term, it is difficult to get rid of it completely, but you can learn to control it

Women are more emotional creatures than men, and therefore more susceptible to a psycho-emotional state, which is impulsiveness. For women, and for any other person, impulsiveness can create considerable problems at work, in close relationships, in raising children - negative impulsiveness requires “blowing off steam”, and therefore an impulsive person (regardless of gender) is advised to understand himself and understand the reasons the emergence of this state and learn to master it.

How to get rid of impulsiveness?

If you do not pay attention to the first signs of impulsiveness in time, it will quickly develop into a persistent character trait and become a stumbling block in relationships with other people - after all, they are not interested in the reasons, they only see their unpleasant manifestation. What to do with impulsiveness and how to get rid of it? We offer simple ways:

Relieving nervous tension and fighting stress: meditation, yoga, SPA treatments and massages, pleasant hobbies, sports and visiting the pool, even shopping - everything that will return your emotional state to its previous course and will not allow the genie of impulsiveness to break out.
It is recommended to set specific achievable goals for deadlines: do you need renovations in your apartment, but don’t have the money? – renovate the apartment gradually; Don’t have time to go to a water park with your child? – a walk in the nearest park on skis will be a good alternative; Did your relatives and friends get you? - turn off your phone after 21:00 and enjoy a pleasant movie or book.

you can calmly explain to relatives that they themselves are able to choose a new leash for their dog in the store;
You can’t argue much with your superiors, but an adequate superior person will listen to healthy arguments and take note;
You can’t put children aside, but for them there will certainly be an interesting activity that can occupy children’s brains and hands for at least a couple of hours.

4. Love relationship and impulsiveness are concepts that, to some extent, peacefully coexist exactly until the latter develops into hot temper and hysteria. In such cases, psychologists recommend starting from the root causes (lack of attention and sex, fear of losing such a loved one, etc.) and talking with your partner about problems arising in the relationship.

Men are emotionally thick-skinned, and what a woman sees as a hurricane overhead, for them is just a small black cloud far, far above the horizon

Impulsive character

The description is given according to the book by Norakidze V.G. Types of character and fixed installation

PERSONALITY CHARACTER WITH A VARIABLE ATTITUDE (impulsive character)

As a result of characterological research, character types were established that differ sharply from harmonious integral and conflicting characters. The main feature of these latter: dominance over the impulses of one’s own needs, regulation of internal conflicts by the activity of the will and the direction of social behavior in accordance with the requirements of the environment. And the conflicting personality itself, on the basis of the strong activity of the second level of mental life, remains a self-controlled, organized, social being. But there were also people whose essential characteristics were weakness of will, strong impulsiveness and, as a result, uncontrollable internal and external conflicts. Such people can be classified as impulsive. Among people of an impulsive nature, there are two sharply different types:

1). Impulsive-expansive with strong needs and

2) impulsive-labile with weak needs.

The attitude of an impulsive-expansive person is variable and stable, i.e. this personality is not characterized by any one type of attitude, in different time she develops attitudes various types(for example, plastic-dynamic, roughly-dynamic, static, etc.), however, the attitude once developed is distinguished by its durability over time - it is stable. Of the factors - subjective and objective, necessary to develop an attitude in a person of this type, the subjective factor - need - has the advantage. The driver of his behavior is always an attitude created under the priority of a strong need. We are dealing with the opposite situation in the case of impulsively labile people. The personality attitude here is variable, but unstable over time, quickly fades away, i.e. labile. The behavior of an individual takes place in the external environment on the basis of an attitude fixed when the situation prevails. This is a person whose activities are determined by the external situation and are devoid of internal guiding force. The named features of his attitude also determine the properties of his character.

a) The nature of an impulsive personality with a variable-stable attitude.

A person with a variable-stable attitude is a person with strong aspirations, active, looking for manifestations of activity in all circumstances of life. His life, activities, and experiences are controlled by the impulse of intense needs and interests. Such strong impulses strive for satisfaction. On the basis of a need and an imaginary situation, a readiness for appropriate behavior is easily created, but objective conditions rarely make it possible to immediately identify impulsive behavior in the form of activity. A person, being a reasonable person, does not commit meaningless acts. The function of the will is certainly manifested here, but it is so weak that it fails to inhibit impulsive actions. In this struggle, the will is helped by a situation unsuitable for the implementation of such readiness and the impulse to preserve life; therefore it is possible that we are not dealing here with genuine human will. The tendency of impulsive action uncontrollably seeks a way out, and its absence turns the personality into an arena of conflict. In the end, the impulsiveness of the individual is nevertheless realized, carried out in some eccentric act.

In such a personality, in comparison with volitional behavior, tendencies of impulsive behavior are given in excess. This does not mean that her will is subject to a different pattern. The will here, too, is characterized by the stages described in the general psychology of ordinary will. And we only emphasize the essential typical features. The will of a person of this type is weak. At critical moments in her life, she fails to successfully complete a negative task - inhibition of impulses, the ability to hide internal conflicts, internal excitement, and sometimes inappropriate eccentric behavior. This also inhibits the possibility of positive work of the will. In such a person, certain aspirations are essentially served not by will, but by impulsive behavior arising from an attitude created on the basis of the current situation. The will acts as an auxiliary function, introducing only doubts, conflicts, and hesitations into behavior that stubbornly occurs against the background of consciousness.

Excessive impulsive behavior especially appears at critical moments in life. In general, throughout a person’s life, he often has to rely on his will. In cases where the “goal” of impulses and will coincides, the decision is made very quickly and firmly, the action proceeds energetically and inexorably. However, when the will must fulfill its specific function, that is, when the action must be directed against desire, thoughts, doubts, and internal hesitation begin; To make a decision in this case, the help of an outsider is necessary. Behavior after a volitional decision, despite the diversity of the emotional background, is adamant. It is difficult for a personality to switch, as a result of which volitional action in most cases turns into To stubbornness. Preliminary planning of future behavior is not typical for the individual, as a result of which volitional action proceeds mainly like an impulsive one. There is an excess of readiness in the individual to serve high goals. Her social purposefulness often becomes the motive of behavior, but these goals are still not volitional. The individual has no tendency to activate needs and attitudes, which are the basis strong-willed behavior. A person probably has the appropriate needs, interests, and worldview, so nothing should prevent him from activating these fixed properties and developing action in a volitional sense. For example, when the question is raised about the need to sacrifice oneself for the sake of one’s neighbor, nothing should prevent a person with altruistic goals from acting in accordance with the decision made on the basis of motivation. However, the person we have described does not fight to achieve these goals on the basis of a special decision, but acts on it impulsively. When such a person is faced with the question of helping a person, of self-sacrifice in the name of the homeland, etc., the corresponding step in this direction is not preceded by acts of choosing motivation, decisions and planning of upcoming behavior. The personality begins the corresponding action in addition to the indicated stages of the will. Fixed readiness is revealed in acts of corresponding action immediately, in addition to being mediated by objectification. It seems as if her behavior is controlled by impulses acting directly rather than by impulses.

Her moral behavior resembles a maternal act determined by a noble “instinct”. A mother, seeing her child in a room on fire, without hesitation rushes to save him. Its action is determined not by will, but by the impulse of need. In the case when the impulses of the individual and its subjectivistic tendencies completely coincide with the objective goal, it displays amazing energy, the ability of inexhaustible care and work. She can show amazing courage and self-sacrifice, the ability to immediately, without hesitation, rush into the fire for lofty goals, to jeopardize the future of her entire life for the rehabilitation of an offended, insulted person.

In a social situation, such behavior is not always appropriate. Each sphere public life has its own objective goals. A person who has the readiness for high goals must be able to serve these goals, he must take into account objectively existing goals, and this is possible only on the basis of the activation of conscious will. The individual in question has a poorly developed sense of reality and fails to act in accordance with objective goals when conscious and planned behavior is required of her. The strength of the impulse of need forces such a person to immediately begin action that corresponds to objective goals; it often proceeds very expediently and achieves great effect, but there are times when it fails. Characteristic stubbornness and difficulty in switching often serve as the reason for inappropriate actions, which subsequently lead to regrets. Thus, instead of establishing complete unity between the objective goals and aspirations of the individual, both internal and external conflicts arise in it. This is also facilitated by the fact that the tendencies of her impulsiveness tend to subjectivize objective goals. She often tries to transfer peculiar subjective aspirations to objective ones, which can be harmful for the latter.

So, the aspirations of the individual, designed to serve ethical goals, sometimes of great value, due to weak will and subjectivistic tendencies that have invaded it, often do not achieve the goal. As a result, the individual develops feelings of uncertainty about own strength, doubts, anger, contempt and a whole range of affectively-aggressive tendencies directed against persons standing in the way of his many obsessive aspirations.

In such a person, the feeling of love is characterized by exceptional intensity and unique depth. She loves quite sincerely. The feeling of sympathy for others is an indicator of sincere sympathy, experiencing other people’s sorrows and happiness as if it were one’s own. Pity and compassion are the main properties of her emotions, but she is not able to show such sympathy for everyone close to her. Although the circle of objects of her sympathy is very wide, next to it there is a group of people whom she treats with distrust, may dislike, hate, revealing hatred, contempt, and enmity. In relation to the enemy, she is full of envy and contempt. She always has poisonous sarcasm, ridicule, and a destructive, poisonous word ready for her opponent. She does not forget insults and looks for an opportunity to take revenge; for years she remembers every word that was insulting to her. This attitude towards others will become quite understandable if we remember that an essential feature of such a personality is pronounced “subjectivism”, when everything is assessed in accordance with one’s own needs. Unfulfilled needs that have accumulated in excess are characterized by excessive activity. Due to a number of subjective and objective conditions, they tend to come out in the appropriate situation. The personality in this regard is very extroverted. She is ready to give her entire subjective world to the objective. However, such a manifestation of internal nature is very subjective. A person only considers the objective if it corresponds to his interests.

The artistic characters of romantics, mystics and decadents, in the overwhelming majority, represent a gallery of portraits of people with variable attitudes. The variety of behavior of these people, the romantic mental structure, full of a seemingly unsolved mystery, strange behavior, restless, eccentric struggle to achieve conscious and unconscious desires, and the often tragic finale of the pursuit of the goal attracted the romantics - the banners of individualism and subjectivism in literature. . Expansive personality types were generously used by romantics as material for creating artistic characters.

Great realists - Shakespeare, Flaubert, Tolstoy, in order to embody their aesthetic ideal in artistic characters, use this psychological type as a prototype. The power of a woman, gifted with boundless passion and beauty of body, that dominates a man, the power of a woman who combines “the traits of Eve and the serpent” and which can cloud the consciousness of even a very strong man and throw him into the abyss, is described by Shakespeare. As a prototype, he used Cleopatra - a beautiful woman, endowed with a rebellious soul, full of unquenchable passions, capricious, eccentric, energetic, expansive, always under the pressure of internal conflicts, changeable in relationships with people.

If Cleopatra has all the means to satisfy her whims, Madame Bovary, personified by Flaubert, brought up in a bourgeois-philistine environment, has nothing to satisfy her aspirations except dreams and secret, humiliating love. The life drama of Madame Bovary lies in the complete discrepancy between her aspirations and dreams, on the one hand, and the reality in which she has to live, on the other. To describe the tragedy of a person who carries such internal contradictions, Flaubert used the psychological type of a person who is impressionable, sensitive, with strong passions, but with a weak will, moreover, impulsive and expansive. Characterologically, Anna Karenina, the character of L.N. Tolstoy, stands on the same plane, although she expresses a completely different moral idea than Shakespeare’s Cleopatra and Flaubert’s Madame Bovary. Anna Karenina - a deeply passionate, expansive and impulsive woman - violates traditional moral norms, but not finding an environment that matches her aspirations and her own restless, rebellious nature, she tragically ends her life,

In such a person, adaptation to the external environment causes internal conflicts. In relation to a person acceptable from the point of view of her moral or vital needs, she is full of excessive sympathy, trust, respect, experiences excessive delight, admiration and even idolizes him. She treats those who block her path critically, and she harbors hatred towards his active impulsive action; such a person, an object in her eyes loses value. Therefore, she is often in conflict with others. Many people praise her, but many people criticize her. According to some, this is direct, truthful, selfless, truth teller in person, a strong-willed, handsome person, in the opinion of others - an unceremonious, upstart, envious, embittered poser. Our society puts such impulsive people within very specific boundaries. Society associates him with impulsiveness, and he is often left with unsatisfied aspirations and accumulated unrealized forces. Such a person knows his own weakness and seeks the protection of a strong, harmonious person. Under the guidance of a strong, authoritative person who can understand her and accordingly direct her strengths and positive aspirations, such a person is able to provide invaluable services to society, despite the fact that her activities are always accompanied by internal anxiety and conflicts with others. If she is first instilled with immoral aspirations, her impulses will be revealed without delay in the form of immoral impulsive actions. In some of the individuals we studied, we observed certain immoral tendencies that had become established in them in childhood; they were unable to fight them. In general, it can be shown that, depending on the nature of the impulses of need, interests, worldview, such an impulsive person can develop into a person of both high aspirations and low morality, almost an attacker.

From everything that has been said regarding the structure of such a person, we conclude: the structure of his character is conflicting. However, the conflicts here are essentially caused not by a sharp contradiction between the aspirations and volitional goals that have become a property, but by the difficulty of realizing his strong and diverse aspirations, caused by the personality’s tendency to impulsive actions. Conflicts here do not express a tendency to destroy the structure of a person’s character; on the contrary, the conflict is a consequence of a tendency to establish internal integrity.

Such a person strives to live life to the fullest, to experience everything, to penetrate into all the convolutions of life, to unfold in the agitated flow of life one’s restless, highly moral aspirations, to satisfy the many high moral tendencies that have turned into impulses. Due to impulsive behavior, such aspirations often remain unfulfilled, inner life personality becomes an arena of anxiety and anxiety arising from unfulfilled needs. These emotions take over the entire personality and cause unpleasant feelings for a long time. objective states her.

In a person who is the bearer of high ethical inclinations and positive social forces in general, there is a strong desire to realize these forces. However, due to incompatibility with the existing external environment Due to the impulsive nature of the personality and the weakness of some personal forces, its basic readiness often remains unfulfilled, but this never causes a weakening of activity. It is this tendency that should explain the fact that such individuals, despite frequent internal and external conflicts, burdened by unfulfilled desires, rarely fall into neurotic states and are constantly full of creative energy. But the simultaneous tendency, on the one hand, to realize, and on the other, to muffle one’s aspirations, becomes a source of internal conflicts that grow from the deep foundations of the character of these individuals. Nevertheless, the tendency to realize impulses operates in them with indomitable force - they are unwavering and tireless in this endeavor and often reveal great strength and persistence of their impulses. However, the main disadvantage of these individuals is their weak will, and this circumstance deprives them of the opportunity to realize their tendencies.

Impulsivity as a personality quality is the tendency to act spontaneously, on the first impulse under the influence of external circumstances or emotions.

The reader will immediately understand the essence of impulsiveness from the behavior of N. S. Khrushchev at an exhibition of works by avant-garde artists, which he visited in 1962. Khrushchev ran around the hall three times. His movements were very sharp. He then quickly moved from one picture to another, then returned back, and all the people around him immediately helpfully backed away, stepping on each other’s feet. From the outside it looked like something out of Chaplin's comedy films. Then he froze and burst into shouts: “Listen, are you homosexuals or normal people!? These are homosexuals in painting! So I would like to ask whether they are married or not; and if they are married, then I would like to ask whether they live with their wife or not? This is a perversion, this is abnormal. What kind of faces are these? Don't you know how to draw? My grandson can draw even better! What it is? Are you damned men or homosexuals, how can you write like that? Do you have a conscience? Does it evoke any feeling? I want to spit! How could you, such a handsome young man, write such shit? Who will fly to this roast that you want to show? Who? Flies that rush to carrion! Here they are, you know, huge and fat. Here we go! You need to take your pants off. Are you a physically normal person? Are you a homosexual or normal person? These are pederasts in painting. They drew all sorts of shit; donkey art.

An impulsive person does not bother thinking about what to do, does not weigh the pros and cons, he spontaneously, immediately, at the first internal impulse, reacts to the stimulus and, often, just as reactively repents of what he has said or done. Impulsivity has nothing to do with decisiveness, a virtue of human character. They are united by a quick and energetic reaction, but decisiveness involves thinking about the situation, analyzing the feasibility of actions and taking action. optimal solution. Impulsivity has the same close connection with self-control as the North Pole has with the South. Impulsivity is self-control with the opposite sign. It is close to thoughtless simplicity.

Impulsiveness is often confused with hot temper, since it is also prone to explosive reactions to stimuli and the algorithm of action for these qualities is the same. The difference between them is that hot temper is a trigger for anger, malice, irritability, in a word, it is associated purely with negative emotions. Impulsivity enjoys contact with emotions of joy and happiness. It also manifests itself in an emotion-neutral situation. For example, you need to make a decision on some production or personnel issue. Everyone, except impulsiveness, sits in a meeting and thinks about what to do. And here impulsiveness offers inadequate solutions and completely incredible candidates for vacant positions.

Impulsivity is a greedy two-step that leaves no time between action and reaction. Impulsiveness is instantly realized karma. He didn’t steal, he took a walk, and then went to prison. No. Stole - goes to jail. In boxing there is such a training apparatus - a punching bag. You hit and, if you don’t dodge, you’ll immediately get a response. Impulsivity is realized according to the principle of this pear. She stole her right to choose. At the same time, she likes to explain her actions by random circumstances, loves to shift responsibility to irresistible fate and evil fate. One burglar complains: "Every time I leave prison, no one helps me, instead some guy comes along and shoves a crowbar into my hands."

Impulsiveness is a bad actor who does not know how to keep a pause between his inner impulse and his lines. A person has a right that no one can take away from him - this is the right to choose how to react to a stimulus. The tram boor said something nasty to you, a reasonable person will use his right to choose, think about how to react to this situation. Hot temper will either begin to compete with the boor, who will outshine whom, or will simply get into a fight. In the police report they will write: “The arguments were over, so they fought in silence.” Impulsiveness, following its emotions, will either rush to separate them, or help one of the parties.

An ordinary person examines his impression from all sides, passes it through his mind, that is, analyzes, compares, evaluates and, finally, makes a judgment about it. An impulsive person is superficial; his first guess instantly becomes ready-made solution. A leader, a commander with such a galloping, hysterical thinking can easily destroy his subordinates. Without engaging in active analysis, an impulsive person will go, like a donkey after a carrot, to this and that which has captured him. The girl, as a future supermodel, is promised “mountains of gold” on the catwalk, and she does not notice the inconsistencies and contradictions in the actions of her employers. She hears and sees selectively - she sees only what is important to her at the moment. Finding herself in a Turkish brothel, she understands the dangers of impulsiveness and stupidity, but sometimes it is too late. Impulsivity does not have planning skills; it lives in the present and diminishes the importance of the future. At the same time, impulsiveness is characterized by a sharp practical mind that can successfully cope with short-term issues; it grasps the essence of the problem on the fly and can react to it quite correctly.

Let's return to Khrushchev as a shining example of impulsiveness. According to D.T. Shepilov, who was the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the USSR, Khrushchev’s impulsiveness found expression in hyperactivity: “He was constantly eager to go somewhere, fly, sail, speak, be at a noisy dinner, listen to honeyed toasts, tell jokes, sparkle, teach - that is, move, bubbling. Without this, he could not live, like a vain actor without applause or a drug addict without drugs.” Khrushchev’s impulsiveness was also manifested in his inconstancy, which was noted in his memoirs by the former Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers V.N. Novikov: “One of the disadvantages of Khrushchev’s personality is inconstancy. He could promise one thing today and do something else tomorrow. Statesman has no right to do this.”

Impulsiveness is a snuffbox with a surprise; touch it carelessly and you will meet the devil. If monuments were cast to character qualities, impulsiveness would stand on top of lack of control and reflexivity. Those who are impulsive are advised to count ten times to ten before blurting out something or taking action, they are told to postpone the decision and consult with the right people or refer to insufficient information, but she rarely listens to advice.

Peter Kovalev

Impulsivity of behavior can manifest itself in the form of uncontrolled (or poorly controlled) attacks of motor or speech activity. Impulsive behavior may be accompanied by a critical attitude towards it, when after attacks the patient regrets that he could not restrain himself. In more severe cases, a critical attitude towards such behavior may be lost.

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Impulsive behavior can be of a painful nature (that is, be a manifestation of a mental disorder), in which case the help of a doctor is required

Impulse control disorders

Impulse control disorders (ICDs) are a category that is widespread in Western scientific literature; in our country, experts use the term situational control disorder or impulsive behavior. This disorder should not be perceived as a separate disease or diagnosis. This is a term that denotes the presence of the same type of symptoms. The symptoms of this condition will be described below.

These disorders (symptoms) are included in the context of general mental disorders, in which patients and their environment, as a rule, note a significant deterioration in social and professional activity, and may also entail both legal and financial difficulties. Medical research has shown that the loss or impairment of situational control over behavior, manifested by impulsive behavior, can respond well to treatment, however, few people consult a doctor with such a problem, believing that it is either a characterological feature, promiscuity, or a manifestation of whims and poor upbringing.

Types of impulsive behavior

Exist different kinds impulsive behavior, for example:

Impulsive temper (impulses to break or destroy);
Impulsive sexual behavior;
Impulsive change in eating behavior;

These disorders are characterized by difficulty resisting momentary urges that are excessive and/or always cause trouble for the patient and those around him.

Impulsive behavior disorders are quite common among adolescents and adults, cause a significant reduction in quality of life, but are effectively treated with behavioral psychotherapy and pharmacological therapy.

The purpose of this review is to provide a clinical picture of mental disorders, which may include impulsive behavior syndrome, including neurological spectrum disorders, and to review the evidence for pharmacological treatment of these disorders.

Key Characteristics of Impulse Control Disorders

Despite the degree of influence of general clinical, genetic and biological features on the development of impulse control disorders, the mechanism of occurrence of these disorders is not entirely clear.

Many impulse control disorders include the underlying qualities of:

repeated impulsive behavior despite adverse consequences;
lack of control over problem behavior;
an irresistible desire or state of “craving” for impulsive behavior or participation in such situations;
When impulsive behavior occurs, a person experiences satisfaction.

These features have led to the description of impulse control disorders as behavioral addictions. Some experts often consider such symptoms as compulsive behavior. Although this relationship has not yet been fully studied, there are some differences in the definition of these concepts.

Impulsivity is defined as a predisposition to quickly, spontaneously react to internal or external stimuli without taking into account negative consequences.

Compulsivity is defined as the performance of repetitive, compulsive actions to reduce or prevent anxiety, distress, danger, etc. These actions do not provide pleasure or satisfaction.

These types of behavior disorders should rather be considered as opposites. Compulsivity and impulsivity, however, can occur simultaneously in the context of the same mental disorder, thereby complicating the diagnosis, understanding, and treatment of disorders of certain forms of behavior.

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