Mutual implications of procrastination research in adults and children for theory and intervention

Abstract

Procrastination is a prevalent form of self-regulatory failure familiar to most people. Although many consider procrastination innocuous as long as the deadline is met, it is associated with negative consequences in various life domains. Thus, it is important to understand why people procrastinate, what factors contribute to procrastination and what can be done to reduce procrastination. Most research on these topics has been conducted with adults, and the few developmental studies have been conducted independently from adult procrastination research. In this Review, we seek to bring these disparate lines of research into closer alignment and point out their mutual implications. Specifically, we discuss how studying procrastination developmentally highlights a need to reconsider a highly restrictive definition of procrastination dominant in adult research. We also suggest future directions for both adult and developmental research, including measurement, theoretical development and interventions. Procrastination is often viewed as innocuous as long as deadlines are met but it is associated with negative life outcomes. In this Review, Mahy et al. bring together procrastination research in adults and children and explore their mutual implications for measurement, theory and interventions.