Functional and dysfunctional impulsivity: Personality and cognitive correlates.

Abstract

The 3 studies reported here were designed to clarify the nature of the personality trait of impulsivity. Two types of impulsivity were distinguished. Dysfunctional impulsivity is the tendency to act with less forethought than most people of equal ability when this tendency is a source of difficulty; most previous work on impulsivity appears to have focused on this trait. Functional impulsivity, in contrast, is the tendency to act with relatively little forethought when such a style is optimal. The present work indicates that these two tendencies are not highly correlated and that they bear different relations both to other personality traits and to the manner in which certain basic cognitive processes are executed. A substantial body of evidence suggests that individual differences in the personality trait of extraversion are associated with individual differences in the way basic cognitive processes are carried out. These basic cognitive processes include the retrieval of information from short-and long-term memory (

Fractionating Impulsivity: Contrasting Effects of Central 5-HT Depletion on Different Measures of Impulsive Behavior

“…However, it has proved difficult to determine the exact nature of impulsivity. The application of factor analysis to self-report questionnaires assessing impulsiveness indicate that impulsive behavior consists of several independent dimensions, although there is considerable variation in the definition of these constituent parts (Buss and Plomin, 1975;Dickman, 1990Dickman, , 1993. Common themes include decreased inhibitory control, intolerance of delay to rewards, over-rapid decision-making due to lack of adequate reflection, as well as more universal deficits such as poor attentional ability.…”

Personality and Self‐Regulation

“…Although impulsivity can be assessed, and often is studied, as a trait, it also appears as a constituent of broader traits and domains of personality such as extraversion and psychoticism in the P-E-N model (Psychoticism, Extraversion, and Neuroticism; Eysenck, 1990), conscientiousness in the five-factor model (Costa & McCrae, 1992), impulsive sensation seeking in the alternative five-factor model (Zuckerman, Kuhlman, Joireman, Teta, & Kraft, 1993), and the behavioral approach system in Gray's (1994) neurophysiological model. Impulsivity typically is cast as a behavioral liability; however, in conditions that do not allow for forethought or planning, impulsivity can be an asset (Dickman, 1990). In either case, behavior is not consciously regulated by the individual, and therefore the process models described below routinely do not apply.…”

Methamphetamine-Using HIV-Positive Men Who Have Sex with Men: Correlates of Polydrug Use

“…18 Scale items included family problems, work problems, financial difficulties, violent behavior, legal problems, and the loss of important personal relationships and were summarized by one variable that represented the total number of social problems experienced in the past 2 months. Impulsivity was measured with Dickman's 12-item impulsivity scale 19 and is generally defined as the tendency to act without thinking and without regard for the negative consequences. 20 Stigma, 21 satisfaction with emotional support, 22 and negative self-perceptions 23 were also assessed.…”