ABOUT Impulsivity
Monday, July 18, 2011 5 Comments
Risk, Reward & Impulsivity
Managing the gap between impulse and action
Many professionals agree that “impulsivity” is one of the most confusing of the official terms in the DSM (The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, updated and published by the American Psychological Association).
The confusion is especially problematic because impulsivity is one of the diagnostic criteria for Attention Deficits. The biggest source of confusion is linguistic.
The term “impulsivity” is unfortunate.
So many concepts are implied by the root word “impulse” that, even once we identify impulsivity as an area that needs to be managed, it’s really tough to figure out how to do it — or even what’s involved.
The truth is, we are ALL are at the effect of “impulsivity.” Impulses drive the conscious actions that contribute to much of our forward progress. Even “instincts” are driven from impulses – the only real difference is that those impulses are below the level of consciousness.
Another biggie among the ADD problems is activation.
What IS activation, if not an impulse.
Murkier and murkier, this examination toward clarification!
Okay, let’s not get into semantic discussions that split hairs. Individuals will be considered “impulsive” only when impulse leads to action without a pause for thought. That works, right?
