Motivation and emotion/Book/2026/Types of impulsivity

Types of impulsivity -
What are the different types of impulsivity and how do they affect motivation?

Overview

Scenario "Why do we act before we think?" Bella is trying to study for a final exam and the pressure is on to get a good grade. Her friend texts her inviting her to a hockey game and she immediately says yes and stops her study session - this is an example of 'response impulsivity' (see Figure 1.). She is naturally sensation seeking and spontaneous and while.e this makes her a fun friend to have these 'personality traits' make her behaviour more impulsive. While her study helps her long term goal of graduating, her immediate enjoyment of the hockey takes priority. this is an example of 'choice impulsivity'. All of this reduces her 'motivation' to pursue and prioritise her longer term academic goal.

Figure 1. The exciting sport of ice hockey

• Impulsivity is a tendency to act quickly without considering potential consequences, this could be difficulty resisting urges or making split second decisions, acting reactively or simply thrill seeking. Impulsively affects motivation as immediate rewards can become far more appealing than long term successes, this can make it harder to remain focused on the bigger picture. Read more about dysfunctional impulsivity here
• It is NOT purely negative it can also help with creativity, decisiveness and spontaneity (see Figure 2.)
• We can help understand how rewards, self control and emotions affect human behaviour by using psychological concepts

Focus questions How is impulsivity defined and what are the different types? What theories explain the effect of impulsivity on motivation, and how can this be applied to everyday life? How does acting before thinking affect motivation and longer-term goal achievement? How are positive and negative emotions triggering impulsive behaviour? What strategies could help people to maintain motivation?

1. What is impulsivity, and how is it conceptualised?

Figure 2. Spontaneous activity: Cliff Jumping

As defined by Moeller et al. (2001) impulsivity is a predisposition toward rapid and unplanned reactions to internal or external stimuli without considering the negative consequences.

Impulsivity can be regarded as a multidimensional construct in the sense that it is defined by several distinct characteristics as opposed to one single trait (Birkley and Smith, 2011).

One widely recognised framework is the UPPS-P Model which identifies five dimensions of impulsivity: negative urgency, positive urgency, lack of premeditation, lack of perseverance and sensation seeking (Um et al. 2018). Using a multidimensional approach like this one can help to explain why one displays a form of impulsivity e.g. acting out when they are stressed/emotional without displaying other forms.

As you continue reading about the forms of impulsivity, think about the fact it includes different tendencies and is dependent on individual circumstances.

2. How do psychological theories explain the effect impulsivity has on emotion?

Barrett Model (Patton et al. 1995) - This model helps to explain how people think, act and plan accordingly rather than just seeng one simple behaviour.

1. Attentional Impulsiveness -

• Difficulty concentrating and/or maintaining attention, and often characterized by quickly changing thoughts.

2. Motor Impulsiveness -

• Individual acts immediately/spur of the moment without thinking it through first

3. Nonplanning Impulsiveness -

• Characterised by focus on the present without carefully considering the future and potential consequences.

Self Regulation Theory (Steel, 2007) -

Goal Management Perspective (Gustavson et al. 2014) -

3. Some strategies to manage impulsivity

CBT / Therapy

Would you consider impulsivity adaptive or maladaptive?

1

A person who has higher choice impulsivity usually prefers larger/delayed rewards instead of immediate/ smaller rewards:

	False
	True

2

Motivation can affect impulsive choices by making immediate rewards more appealing="()"

	True
	False

Impulsivity is a single behaviour that affects everyone the same way:

	False
	True

Conclusion

• Impulsivity affects day to day life such as making decisions, staying motivated and goal achievement - short and long term. understanding this concept and taking appropriate steps to manage it can help to reduce procrastination and help to make better long term decisions

Suggestions for this section: What is the answer to the sub-title question based on psychological theory and research? What are the answers to the focus questions? What are the practical, take-home messages? (Even for the topic development, have a go at the likely take-home message)

References

Birkley, E. L, & Smith, G. T. (2011). Recent advances in understanding the personality underpinnings of impulsive behavior and their role in risk for addictive behaviors. Current Drug Abuse Reviews, 4(4), 215–227. https://doi.org/10.2174/1874473711104040215

Um, M., Hershberge, A. R., Whitt, Z. T., & Cyders, M. A. (2018). Recommendations for applying a multi-dimensional model of impulsive personality to diagnosis and treatment. Borderline Personality Disorder and Emotion Dysregulation, 5, Article 6. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40479-018-0084-x

Moeller, F. G., Barratt, E. S., Dougherty, D. M., Schmitz, J. M., & Swann, A. C. (2001). Psychiatric aspects of impulsivity. American Journal of Psychiatry, 158(11), 1783–1793. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.158.11.1783

Steel, P. (2007). The nature of procrastination: A meta-analytic and theoretical review of quintessential self-regulatory failure. Psychological Bulletin, 133(1), 65–94. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.133.1.65

Gustavson, D. E., Miyake, A., Hewitt, J. K., & Friedman, N. P. (2014). Genetic relations among procrastination, impulsivity, and goal-management ability: Implications for the evolutionary origin of procrastination. Psychological Science, 25(6), 1178–1188. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797614526260

Salmoirago-Blotcher, E., Druker, S., Meleo-Meyer, F., Frisard, C., Crawford, S., & Pbert, L. (2019). Beneficial effects of school-based mindfulness training on impulsivity in healthy adolescents: Results from a pilot randomized controlled trial. Explore, 15(2), 160–164. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.explore.2018.07.003

External links

• Mel Robbins (2026-01-22), The Science of Self Control: Find Motivation, Increase Your Focus, and Hack Dopamine, retrieved 2026-08-28
• Wypych, Marek; Matuszewski, Jacek; Dragan, Wojciech Ł (2018-06-05). "Roles of Impulsivity, Motivation, and Emotion Regulation in Procrastination – Path Analysis and Comparison Between Students and Non-students". Frontiers in Psychology (Frontiers) 9.