DYSFUNCTIONAL PROCRASTINATION AND ITS RELATIONSHIP WITH SELF-ESTEEM, INTERPERSONAL DEPENDENCY, AND SELF-DEFEATING BEHAVIORS

Young adults (202 women, 61 men: M = 20.9) completed measures of decis ional and behavioral procrastination, self-esteem, interpersonal depen dency, and self-defeating behavior. Correlational analysis indicated t hat both procrastination types separately and combined were significan tly related to low self-esteem, dependency on others, and defeating be haviors. Among specific self-defeating behaviors, decisional procrasti nation was related to failing to complete crucial tasks, inciting ange r in others, and rejecting good-spirited others. Behavioral procrastin ation was related to failing task completion, rejecting well-minded ot hers, feeling guilty after a positive event, and choosing handicapping situations. Multiple regression analyses indicated that self-defeatin g tendencies of failure to complete crucial tasks and rejecting opport unities for pleasure were significant predictors of decisional, behavi oral, and overall dysfunctional procrastination. Interpersonal depende ncy also was a significant predictor of both decisional and dysfunctio nal procrastination, while self-esteem predicted behavioral procrastin ation. These results suggest that types of procrastination may be pred icted by similar personality factors, and that chronic procrastination is dysfunctional toward achieving life goals.