The Psychology of Fear and Procrastination: A Scientific Exploration with an Insightful Quiz

- Part One -

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Procrastination and fear are intricately linked elements that can significantly impact your life. Often, what appears as mere laziness is actually a manifestation of underlying fears, such as the fear of failure or success.

Understanding the roots of these fears is crucial, as they can influence your decisions and impede your progress.

This comprehensive guide is divided into two parts to provide a thorough understanding and practical solutions.

While Part One lays the groundwork by exploring the psychology behind procrastination and fear, Part Two, “Overcoming Fear and Procrastination: Science-Backed Strategies,” will equip you with actionable techniques to break free from this cycle.

We’ll also provide illustrations and a quiz specifically designed to assess and understand your fears and how they influence your procrastination behavior.

Are you ready to embark on this journey? Let’s dive right in.

The Psychology of Procrastination and Fear

Research suggests that 20–25% of adults are considered chronic procrastinators, and about 50% of adults admit they procrastinate from time to time.

There is compelling evidence that fear, especially fear of failure, is one of the major causes of procrastination.

This was illustrated by a 2021 study involving 152 dental students, which found that those who procrastinated academically also experienced higher levels of test anxiety, a heightened fear of humiliation, more irrational and negative thoughts, and increased stress, highlighting the substantial role that fear-related factors play in leading to procrastination.

Fear often leads to procrastination by serving as a strong emotional deterrent. This can cause you to postpone taking action as a way to avoid facing the source of your fear, thereby creating a cycle of avoidance and delay.

The main types of fears associated with procrastination include:

Fear of Failure: The apprehension that your efforts will not result in success, leading you to avoid tasks where there’s a risk of not meeting expectations. This type of fear is often associated with perfectionism.
Fear of Success: The anxiety that success might bring unwanted consequences, such as increased responsibility, pressure, or change in your social dynamics.
Fear of Judgment or Criticism: Concern about people’s opinions, leading you to avoid tasks where there is potential for evaluation or scrutiny. This type of fear is often associated with social anxiety and performance anxiety, where the predominant concern is about being negatively judged by others.
Fear of Making Mistakes: This involves a hesitation to move forward because of the concern that mistakes might occur, a worry commonly associated with perfectionism, especially among students.
Fear of the Unknown: This fear is caused by uncertainty or unfamiliar situations, leading you to postpone tasks that are new or ambiguous.
Fear of Discomfort: This involves aversion and avoidance of tasks that are seen as tedious, difficult, or uncomfortable, preferring immediate comfort over long-term goals.

All these fears, which usually overlap, are often irrational and exaggerated, leading to a disproportionate response where the avoidance of tasks becomes more about managing anxiety than addressing the actual likelihood or impact of the feared outcome.

How Does Fear Cause Procrastination?

To understand the relationship between fear and procrastination, let’s consider a scenario: you have a major presentation to prepare for work. However, you’re hindered by the fear of criticism, concerned that despite your best efforts, your colleagues may not respond positively to your ideas.

But why would you procrastinate if you’re so anxious of negative judgment? Common sense might suggest that the best response would be to prepare thoroughly rather than delay the task.

Well, the human brain works in mysterious ways. In fact, you may prefer to avoid working on the presentation because, subconsciously, evading the task reduces the immediate anxiety and discomfort associated with it.

Avoidance and procrastination are coping mechanisms against fear, that offers you a temporary escape from the thoughts of criticism and potential failure, making procrastination a short-term emotional safeguard, even though it may be counterproductive in achieving long-term success.

It is worth noting that the relationship between fear and procrastination is complex; while fear can indeed be a common cause of procrastination, it can also act as a motivator in some cases.

For instance, the fear of failing or being judged can push you to work harder on a presentation, using that fear as a driving force.

However, everyone reacts differently to fear. While it may spur action in some, leading to increased effort and diligence, for others, the same fear can result in avoidance and delay, as the prospect of facing potential negative outcomes becomes overwhelming.

This variability highlights the nuanced and individualized nature of how fear influences procrastination.

Now, let’s delve deeper into the two primary types of fears commonly leading to persistent procrastination: the fear of failure and the fear of success.

I. Fear of Failure & Procrastination

Fear of failure, also known as “atychiphobia” in psychological terms, is characterized by a profound concern about not meeting expectations or achieving success, often leading to the avoidance of tasks where there is a perceived risk of failure.

Research has consistently demonstrated a significant relationship between fear of failure and procrastination, with several studies suggesting that it might be one of the primary causes of procrastination, especially among students.

For instance, a study by Solomon and Rothblum in 1984 found that fear of failure was responsible for nearly half (49.4%) of the reasons people gave for procrastinating.

Similarly, a 2012 study discovered a link between fear of failure and academic procrastination in students, particularly in those who viewed their own abilities as inadequate, often referred to as having poor self-efficacy.

Interestingly, some studies found that fear of failure tends to be significantly more prevalent and at higher levels among females, especially in academic settings.

Further Read: Academic Procrastination: The Ultimate Science-based Guide

Research has shown that fear of failure is often closely associated with perfectionism. As a perfectionist, you tend to set extremely high, sometimes unrealistically high, standards for yourself. This relentless pursuit of flawlessness fosters a fear of failure, as you may believe that anything less than perfect equates to failure.

II. Fear of Success & Procrastination

Fear of success, a complex psychological phenomenon, involves worry about the consequences of achieving your goals, such as increased responsibility, change in relationships, or heightened expectations.

This fear often leads to procrastination as a defensive mechanism. Essentially, by delaying or sabotaging your own success through procrastination, you may subconsciously attempt to avoid the anticipated negative outcomes of success.

This avoidance can manifest in various forms, such as hesitancy to take on new challenges, self-sabotage in important projects, or reluctance to complete tasks that could lead to significant achievements, thereby limiting personal and professional growth.

Research suggests that fear of success and fear of failure are closely related. For some individuals, particularly among women with interconnected needs for affiliation and achievement, these fears might be almost identical, largely due to their shared basis in the fear of social rejection.

But why would you fear success, especially when working so hard to achieve it?

Fear of success involves concerns that once you achieve something new, you might be incapable of sustaining it or may suffer because of it.

Imposter syndrome is a key example, where you might fear success, feeling as though you don’t truly deserve it or that it’s unattainable, regardless of your efforts.

You might also worry that success will come at the cost of something else valued in your life.

This fear can manifest in various ways:

Feeling undeserving of success.
Anxiety about being in the spotlight.
Worrying about leaving people behind as you move forward.
Concerns about handling new responsibilities that success brings.
Apprehension that life will become more complicated than you can manage.
Fearing negative comments or social backlash from achieving success.

Understanding these complex emotions is crucial in addressing procrastination driven by a fear of success. It involves recognizing these fears and reassessing how you view success and its implications on your life.

Understanding The Procrastination-Fear Cycle:

Fear and Procrastination frequently create a reinforcing cycle. Your irrational fears, such as the fear of failure, criticism or success, often lead to postponing important tasks and responsibilities.

This procrastination doesn’t solve the fear, but rather only postpones it and gives it time to grow and become worse, as the uncompleted tasks loom over you and the deadline approaches.

But this vicious cycle doesn’t end there: the procrastination caused by your irrational fears can result in poor preparation, negatively impacting your performance in tasks like exams or presentations.

Consequently, poor performance might indeed attract the criticism you initially feared, thus realizing your own negative predictions and creating a self-fulfilling prophecy.

The issue is that performing poorly due to procrastination can reinforce negative self-beliefs, such as viewing yourself as a failure or an imposter. This can lead to further procrastination, creating a self-perpetuating cycle of doom.

The Root Causes of Fear of Failure & Fear of Success:

The root causes of fear of failure and fear of success are often traced back to a combination of psychological and environmental factors.

While the precise origins of these fears and related anxiety disorders are not fully understood, factors such as childhood experiences, traumatic events, and inherited traits are known to contribute to their development.

Let’s go over some of these factors:

1. Childhood Experiences:

Childhood experiences are pivotal in shaping how you perceive failure and success. Studies suggest that fear of failure already starts to develop in childhood between the age of 5 to 10 years.

When parents or caregivers are overly critical or set unreasonably high standards, it can instill a profound fear of failure. In such cases, mistakes might be viewed not just as failures but as a loss of love or approval.

Similarly, parental and societal expectations that overemphasize achievement create a high-pressure environment.

Growing up under such conditions, where success is demanded and failure is met with harsh criticism, can intensify your fear of failure due to the anticipated negative consequences and critique. At the same time, this environment can also cultivate a fear of success.

A 1972 study examining 41 mothers of male high school students with either high or low fear of failure found that sons are more prone to developing a high fear of failure if their mothers set high expectations for early achievement and independence, respond indifferently or negatively to good behavior, and punish bad behavior. Conversely, sons of mothers who reward good behavior typically show a lower fear of failure.

2. Personality Traits:

Certain personality traits, which are a complex interplay of genetic predispositions, environmental influences, and individual experiences, can significantly influence the likelihood of experiencing fear.

Two key traits have been consistently linked with fear and worry, particularly fear of failure and success:

Neuroticism: A central trait in the Big Five personality model, is characterized by emotional instability, anxiety, and moodiness. This trait can amplify your tendency towards fear.

Research found that high neuroticism is closely related to both fear of failure and fear of success, as well as to other types of anxiety, such as test anxiety. Studies have also linked high levels of neuroticism to procrastination.

Individuals with high levels of neuroticism often perceive the world as more threatening and challenging, making them more susceptible to different types of anxieties and fears.

Find out more comprehensive dive on Procrastination and Personality Traits.

Perfectionism: This trait, defined by a relentless pursuit of flawlessness and exceptionally high standards, has been significantly linked to fear of failure across numerous studies.

Perfectionists often have a deep fear of making mistakes, viewing them as personal failings. This often leads to avoiding challenging tasks or opportunities to prevent situations where perfection might not be achieved.

Additionally, evidence suggests that perfectionists often also experience higher levels of procrastination.

Discover more about the link between Perfectionism and Procrastination.

In addition to the two main traits, research indicates that both fears of failure and success are linked with various traits and psychological factors. These include introversion, low conscientiousness, risk-aversion, self-criticism, low self-esteem, high test anxiety, and a low orientation towards achievement.

Further Reading: Is Procrastination a Personality Trait? Research Findings May Surprise You

3. Life Events:

Fear can also be a learned response, often developing from past experiences and events during adulthood.

When you experience failure in certain situations and face negative consequences, it can leave a lasting impression, resulting in a fear related to similar circumstances in the future.

For instance, if you failed a high-stakes exam in the past and received disappointment or criticism from others, you might develop a long-lasting anxiety about failing in future academic challenges.

This learned fear can result in avoidance behavior, where you consciously or unconsciously avoid situations where you perceive a risk of failure, even if you’re capable of succeeding.

Past experiences of both success and failure can have a significant impact on your perception and behavior.

Situations where failure resulted in negative consequences or success brought unforeseen challenges can create an aversion to both outcomes. This aversion, shaped by past events, can influence your decisions and actions in the present and future.

Consequences of the Fear-Procrastination Cycle:

Beyond the evident vicious cycle of escalating procrastination and intensifying fear, other consequences encompass a range of personal, professional, and psychological impacts.

1. Poor Self-Efficacy & Self-Esteem:

Self-efficacy is your belief in your own ability to succeed in specific situations or accomplish a task. It plays a crucial role in how you approach goals, tasks, and challenges.

Fear of failure can erode your self-efficacy by leading to habitual task avoidance, which in turn fuels doubts about your capabilities and undermines your belief in your ability to succeed.

Research indicates that individuals who fear success often exhibit low self-efficacy, refraining from pursuing opportunities for success due to doubts about their own abilities.

Every task you avoid reinforces the belief that you might not be capable of handling it effectively, leading to diminished self-confidence in your skills and overall lowered self-esteem.

This feeling of inadequacy further erodes trust in your capabilities and affects your self-esteem, creating a cycle where low self-esteem and reduced self-efficacy continuously reinforce each other.

2. Low Productivity and Performance:

The fear-procrastination cycle significantly impairs productivity and performance across all aspects of life.

Research has demonstrated a clear link between procrastination, often driven by fear, and reduced academic performance and general achievement.

When you delay tasks because of fear, there’s a tendency to either hastily complete them later or avoid them altogether, which leads to lower quality work and diminished outcomes. This not only impacts efficiency but also undermines the effectiveness of your results.

Over time, this pattern of procrastination and inadequate results becomes a chronic problem, negatively affecting your performance in both professional and personal settings.

3. Impeded Personal and Professional Growth

The fear and procrastination cycle can severely impact your personal and professional growth, not only hindering current tasks but also long-term development.

In academic environments, procrastination has been extensively documented through numerous studies to have a detrimental impact on students’ achievement and overall success.

In the professional realm, this may result in poor performance, unfinished tasks, missed opportunities, and can even lead to serious problems such as job stagnation, missed promotions, or even job loss.

A 2013 study found that a single point increase in procrastination, on a 5-point scale, was associated with an approximately $15,000 drop in salary and, on average, 322 fewer days of employment.

Read Our Full Guide: “Procrastination at Work: The Comprehensive Science-Backed Playbook“

The fear and procrastination cycle can negatively impact relationships, straining interactions with friends, family, and colleagues because of missed commitments and perceived unreliability. This erosion of trust and reliability undermines the formation of strong, healthy relationships, further affecting your personal growth and social well-being.

Further Reading: Effects of Procrastination on Relationships (How to Deal with a Procrastinator?)

4. Poor Mental and Physical Health:

The Fear-Procrastination Cycle significantly impacts both your mental and physical health. Constantly delaying tasks due to fear leads to chronic stress and anxiety, which can cause feelings of overwhelm and helplessness.

This ongoing stress may trigger or exacerbate mental health issues, including depression and anxiety disorders.

Research suggests that procrastination is linked to symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress, as well as loneliness and reduced life satisfaction.

Additionally, the prolonged stress and anxiety stemming from this cycle can adversely impact your physical health, causing disrupted sleep, a weakened immune system, and a higher susceptibility to illnesses.

Such prolonged stress also puts a strain on your cardiovascular system, elevating the risk of conditions such as hypertension and heart disease.

A 2015 study involving over 700 individuals found that those who procrastinate have a 63% higher risk of experiencing poor heart health.

So, in short, there is compelling evidence that the Fear and Procrastination Cycle significantly affects both mental and physical health, underscoring the importance of addressing and breaking this cycle.

Further Read: Is Procrastination a Mental Disorder? Everything You Need to Know.

QUIZ: Test Your Fear of Failure with This Scientifically Backed Quiz

Measuring fear of failure is done by analyzing related thoughts, feelings, and behaviors through various psychometric tools to determine its intensity and aspects.

The Quiz you’re about to take is based on the Performance Failure Appraisal Inventory (PFAI), which is one of the most widely used, scientifically validated, and reliable methods for assessing fear of failure across different dimensions, extensively applied in trials and research.

This Test encompasses 25 questions exploring five specific areas, in addition to general fear of failure:

Fear of Experiencing Shame and Embarrassment
Fear of Devaluing One’s Self-Esteem
Fear of an Uncertain Future
Fear of Losing Interest from Important Others
Fear of Upsetting Important OthersTop of Form

Quiz scores categorize fear of failure into low (1 to 2.99), moderate (3 to 3.99), and high (4 to 5) levels, indicating the intensity and dimensions of fear of failure.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Takeways

Nearly half of all adults procrastinate for various reasons, among which fear is a significant contributing factor.

Fear leads to procrastination by fostering avoidance as a coping mechanism against potential criticism and failure, offering short-term emotional relief at the expense of long-term success.

Irrational fears initiate a destructive cycle where procrastination causes the avoidance of important activities and results in poor outcomes, reinforcing negative beliefs about your abilities and further fueling fear of failure and perpetuating the cycle.

Both fear of failure, driven by anxieties about inadequacy, and fear of success, fueled by concerns about negative consequences of achieving goals, contribute significantly to persistent procrastination, creating a complex emotional barrier to achieving your full potential.

Childhood experience, personality traits like neuroticism and perfectionism, and life events can all contribute to an ingrained fear of failure.

The fear-procrastination cycle leads to diminished self-efficacy and self-esteem, reduced productivity and performance, impeded personal and professional growth, and poor mental and physical health, highlighting the need to address and break this detrimental cycle.

Now that we’ve explored the psychology behind fear and procrastination, take a look at Part Two where we delve into science-backed strategies to break the vicious cycle for good.

Further Reads

If you’re seeking an in-depth exploration of the complex interplay of fear and procrastination, here are three essential books to consider:

The Now Habit

A book by Neil Fiore that offers strategies to overcome procrastination by understanding its psychological causes .

Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway

A book by Susan Jeffers that provides tools to you help overcome fears and increase confidence and decision-making skills.

Procrastination: Why You Do It, What to Do About It Now

A book by Jane B. Burka and Lenora M. Yuen, That offers insights into the psychological reasons behind procrastination and provides practical strategies for overcoming it.