Delayed gratification
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| - | :''[[deferred gratification]]'' | + | '''Deferred gratification''' and '''delayed gratification''' denote a person’s ability to wait in order to obtain something that he or she wants. This [[Intellectualism|intellectual]] attribute is also called [[impulse control]], [[Self discipline|will power]], [[self control]], and “low” [[time preference]], in economics. [[Sociology|Sociologically]], good impulse control is considered a positive [[personality psychology|personality trait]], which psychologist [[Daniel Goleman]] indicated as an important component trait of [[emotional intelligence]]. Moreover, people who lack the psychological trait of being able to delay gratification are said to require '''instant gratification''' and might suffer poor '''impulse control'''. The [[Stanford marshmallow experiment|Stanford Marshmallow Experiment]] (1972) indicates that good impulse control might be psychologically important for [[Academy|academic]] achievement and for success in adult life. Research also indicates that animals do not defer gratification, but instead apply [[hyperbolic discounting]], so, the [[Intellectualism|intellectual]] problem of delayed gratification is [[Philosophy|philosophically]] fundamental to [[human nature]]. |
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| + | ==Psychoanalysis== | ||
| + | The [[Psychoanalysis|psychoanalytic]] term '''impulse control''' derives from the [[Sigmund Freud|Freudian]] [[Ego psychology|psychology]] [[Id, ego, and super-ego|theory of personality]] (Id, Ego, Super-ego),{{Citation needed|date=June 2011}} wherein, the [[Id, ego and super-ego|id]] is the [[Pleasure principle (psychology)|pleasure principle]], the ego is the [[reality principle]], and the super-ego is the [[morality principle]]. The purpose of the ego is to satisfy the needs of the Id, whilst respecting the needs of other people. Accordingly, a person who is unable to delay gratification might possess an imbalanced [[psychic apparatus]] wherein the [[Id, ego and super-ego#Id|id]] cannot be controlled by the [[Id, ego and super-ego#Ego|ego]] and the [[super-ego]]. | ||
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| + | ==Research== | ||
| + | To test the theory of a person’s ability to delay gratification, the [[Stanford marshmallow experiment|Stanford Marshmallow Experiment]] (1972), conducted by Prof. [[Walter Mischel]], at [[Stanford University]], California, studied a group of four-year-old children, each of whom was given one [[marshmallow]], but promised two on condition that he or she wait twenty minutes, before eating the first marshmallow. Some children were able to wait the twenty minutes, and some were unable to wait. Furthermore, the university researchers then studied the [[developmental psychology|developmental]] progress of each participant child into adolescence, and reported that children able to delay gratification (wait) were psychologically better adjusted, more dependable persons, and, as high school students, scored [[statistical significance|significantly]] greater grades in the collegiate [[Scholastic Aptitude Test]]. More recently, the study ''Fetal Alcohol Syndrome: Developmental Characteristics and Directions for further Research'' (1994) reported that children afflicted with [[fetal alcohol syndrome]] (FAS) are less able to delay gratification; indicating, perhaps, that poor impulse control might originate biologically, in the [[brain]]. | ||
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| + | ==See also== | ||
| + | *[[Impulse control disorder]] | ||
| + | *[[Self control]] | ||
| + | *[[Gratification]] | ||
| + | *[[Hyperbolic discounting]] | ||
| + | *[[Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder]] | ||
| + | *[[Time preference]] | ||
| - | [[Western culture]] is sometimes criticized for its emphasis on ''instant gratification'', i.e., the conscious expenditure of effort to make the time interval between wanting something and getting it as short as possible. This focus may be due in part to the influence of [[utilitarianism]], the [[Consequentialism|consequentialist]] belief that morality can be measured by the overall yield of happiness (utility) that results from a particular action. One example of a significant influence of this theory is the importance of [[cost-benefit analysis]] in Western [[economics|economic theory]]. | ||
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Revision as of 16:36, 1 September 2011
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Deferred gratification and delayed gratification denote a person’s ability to wait in order to obtain something that he or she wants. This intellectual attribute is also called impulse control, will power, self control, and “low” time preference, in economics. Sociologically, good impulse control is considered a positive personality trait, which psychologist Daniel Goleman indicated as an important component trait of emotional intelligence. Moreover, people who lack the psychological trait of being able to delay gratification are said to require instant gratification and might suffer poor impulse control. The Stanford Marshmallow Experiment (1972) indicates that good impulse control might be psychologically important for academic achievement and for success in adult life. Research also indicates that animals do not defer gratification, but instead apply hyperbolic discounting, so, the intellectual problem of delayed gratification is philosophically fundamental to human nature.
Psychoanalysis
The psychoanalytic term impulse control derives from the Freudian psychology theory of personality (Id, Ego, Super-ego),Template:Citation needed wherein, the id is the pleasure principle, the ego is the reality principle, and the super-ego is the morality principle. The purpose of the ego is to satisfy the needs of the Id, whilst respecting the needs of other people. Accordingly, a person who is unable to delay gratification might possess an imbalanced psychic apparatus wherein the id cannot be controlled by the ego and the super-ego.
Research
To test the theory of a person’s ability to delay gratification, the Stanford Marshmallow Experiment (1972), conducted by Prof. Walter Mischel, at Stanford University, California, studied a group of four-year-old children, each of whom was given one marshmallow, but promised two on condition that he or she wait twenty minutes, before eating the first marshmallow. Some children were able to wait the twenty minutes, and some were unable to wait. Furthermore, the university researchers then studied the developmental progress of each participant child into adolescence, and reported that children able to delay gratification (wait) were psychologically better adjusted, more dependable persons, and, as high school students, scored significantly greater grades in the collegiate Scholastic Aptitude Test. More recently, the study Fetal Alcohol Syndrome: Developmental Characteristics and Directions for further Research (1994) reported that children afflicted with fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) are less able to delay gratification; indicating, perhaps, that poor impulse control might originate biologically, in the brain.
See also
- Impulse control disorder
- Self control
- Gratification
- Hyperbolic discounting
- Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder
- Time preference
