impulsivity

Tendency to act on a whim without considering consequences

Diseasepersonality trait symptom medical diagnosisQ1549918

Also known as Impulsive Behavior · Impulsive Behaviour · impulsiveness · caprice · capricious · capriciousness

Overview

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In psychology, impulsivity is a tendency to act on a whim, displaying behavior characterized by little or no forethought, reflection, or consideration of the consequences. Impulsive actions are typically "poorly conceived, prematurely expressed, unduly risky, or inappropriate to the situation that often result in undesirable consequences," which imperil long-term goals and strategies for success. Impulsivity can be classified as a multifactorial construct. A functional variety of impulsivity has also been suggested, which involves action without much forethought in appropriate situations that can and does result in desirable consequences. "When such actions have positive outcomes, they tend not to be seen as signs of impulsivity, but as indicators of boldness, quickness, spontaneity, courageousness, or unconventionality." Thus, the construct of impulsivity includes at least two independent components: first, acting without an appropriate amount of deliberation, which may or may not be functional; and second, choosing short-term gains over long-term ones.

Overview

All data

32 statements · 28% with external sources · numbers in brackets are citations

Measurement scale: Barratt Impulsiveness Scale
Facet of: decision making
risk
impulse control disorder
Subclass of: human behavior

Data quality

statements

28%

externally sourced

Source last edited August 17, 2026. AIDb refreshes this page daily.

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AIDb. (2026). impulsivity (Q1549918). Retrieved from https://aidb.si/e/impulsivity-Q1549918