Indecisiveness as an Underlying Factor for Procrastination among Young Adults

Abstract

The purpose of the present study is to assess if indecisiveness is a factor that leads to individuals procrastination. The study also aims to assess whether there is any significant difference in sex with respect to procrastination and indecisiveness and to also check whether there is any significant difference in undergraduate and postgraduate students with respect to procrastination and indecisiveness. A sample of 118 young adults (59 males , 59 females) aged between 18-25 years participated in the study. The procrastination scale developed by Joseph R.Ferrari was used to measure the procrastination among young adults and the measurement scale for indecisiveness developed by Veerle Germeijs and Paul De Boeck was used to measure the indecisiveness. Descriptive statistics, Pearson\'s correlation and Independent sample T-test was used for statistical analysis. The findings indicated that there is positive but no correlation between procrastination and indecisiveness. Males and females do not differ significantly in their procrastination Males and females differ significantly in their Indecisiveness. Undergraduate and postgraduate students differ in their Procrastination whereas Undergraduate and postgraduate students do not differ in their Indecisiveness. Future implications have also been discussed in the present study.

Introduction

I. INTRODUCTION

It`s Sunday afternoon, and you've been meaning to get started on your big project for a few days. You keep telling yourself that you'll make a decision and start working right away, but the minutes stretch into hours, and you're still in the same place. You promise yourself that you will do better the next time, but you know that ending the pattern of procrastination and indecision is easier said than done.

Procrastination is the act of delaying or postponing a task or choice, frequently to the point of failure or creating undue worry and anxiety. It can present itself in a variety of ways, such as postponing exam preparation, putting off a work project until the last minute, or avoiding an unpleasant conversation with a friend or family member. Many people struggle with procrastination, which can have a detrimental influence on productivity, mental health, and general quality of life.

Procrastinators had higher levels of anxiety and worse levels of self-esteem, according to a study conducted by Ferrari et al. (1995). Task characteristics can influence procrastination and Tasks viewed as boring, difficult, or unpleasant are more likely to be postponed. Ellis and Knaus (1977) discovered that procrastination was highest for tasks seen as difficult and unpleasant. Procrastination can be exacerbated by poor time management abilities. Individuals who have difficulty planning, prioritizing, and organizing their time, for example, may be more likely to delay. Schouwenburg et al. (2004) discovered that poor time management was a significant predictor of procrastination in their study. Procrastination can be triggered by negative feelings such as anxiety, fear, and boredom. Individuals who struggle with emotion regulation may be more prone to procrastination. Sirois and Pychyl (2013) discovered that emotional control was a significant predictor of procrastination in their study. Increased procrastination has been connected to the rise of digital technologies. The continual distraction of social media, email, and other online activities can make staying focused on work difficult. According to Rozental et al. (2019), internet addiction is positively associated with procrastination.

Indecisiveness is the difficulty in making decisions or making choices, which is typically caused by feelings of uncertainty or overwhelm. It is similar to procrastination in that people who deal with indecisiveness may postpone making a decision, resulting in delays in taking action or finishing tasks.

According to studies, there is a link between indecision and procrastination. Ozer and O'eview of literature Callaghan (1995), for example, discovered that indecisiveness was substantially connected with academic procrastination among college students. Similarly, Sirois and Tosti (2012) discovered that difficulty making decisions was connected with higher levels of procrastination in adults.

Indecisiveness and procrastination may both be influenced by underlying psychological problems such as anxiety and low self-esteem. Individuals who suffer with indecision may experience worry and self-doubt, which can lead to procrastination to postpone making a decision. Similarly, procrastinators may suffer fear and self-doubt about their capacity to complete a task, leading to indecision about how to proceed.

There have been several studies that have explored the Relationship Between Procrastination and indecisiveness. Sirois and Tosti (2012) conducted a study of adults and found that difficulty with decision-making was associated with higher levels of procrastination. Ozer and O'Callaghan (1995) found that indecisiveness was significantly correlated with academic procrastination among college students. Rothblum et al. (1986) conducted a study of undergraduate students and found that both indecisiveness and perfectionism were associated with procrastination. Ferrari et al. (2009) found that procrastination was related to difficulty making decisions among a sample of adults. Sirois and Giguère (2018) conducted a study of adults and found that procrastination was related to decisional avoidance, which is the tendency to put off making decisions.These studies suggest that there is a relationship between procrastination and indecisiveness, and that individuals who struggle with one may be more likely to struggle with the other.

A.  Research Questions

1. Is there any relationship between procrastination and indecisiveness among young adults?
2. Do males and females differ in their amount of procrastination?
3. Do males and females differ in their amount of indecisiveness?
4. Does Procrastination differ in Undergraduate and postgraduate students?
5. Does Indecisiveness differ in Undergraduate and Postgraduate students?

B. Objectives

1. To study the relationship between Procrastination and indecisiveness among young adults.
2. To study the difference between males and females in their Procrastination.
3. To study the difference between males and females in their Indecisiveness.

C. Hypotheses

1. H01- There is no significant Relationship between Indecisiveness and Procrastination among young adults.
2. H02- There is no significant difference between males and females in their Procrastination.
3. H03- There is no significant difference between males and females in their Indecisiveness.
4. H04- There is no significant difference between undergraduate and postgraduate students in their Procrastination.
5. H05- There is no significant difference between undergraduate and postgraduate students in their Indecisiveness.

II. METHODOLOGY

The study has used a descriptive study method to study the relationship between indecisiveness as an underlying factor for procrastination among young adults. The sample size consisted of 118 participants aged between 18-25 years (59 males and 59 females). The non-probability method of sampling technique that is convenient sampling was used to collect data. 

A. Tools Used 

1. The Procrastination scale: The procrastination scale is a self-report questionnaire used to measure individuals' tendencies to engage in procrastination developed by Joseph R.Ferrari and colleagues, the scale assesses various aspects of procrastination behavior. The scale consists of 20 items, each item rated on a 5-point likert scale ranging from (1) extremely uncharacteristic to (5) extremely characteristic. The reliability coefficient of the scale is .83. The scale has also demonstrated good validity, meaning it measures what it intends to measure. 
2. A measurement scale for Indecisiveness: The indecisiveness scale is a self-report questionnaire used to measure indecisiveness developed by Veerle Germeijs and Paul De Boeck. The scale consists of 22 items, each item rated on a 7-point likert scale ranging from (0) strongly disagree to (6) strongly agree. The reliability coefficient of the scale is .91. The Cronbach's alpha value for negative items was .86 and for the positive items it was .83. 

B. Statistical Analysis 

The results were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Jamovi was used to analyse the data. In descriptive statistics the mean and the standard deviation were considered and in the inferential statistics the Pearson's correlation was used to measure the relationship between indecisiveness and procrastination and the independent sample T-test was used to test the hypotheses. 

Table 1:

Descriptive statistics of the Variables procrastination and Indecisiveness

An analysis of table 1 shows the mean score of procrastination scale is  57.0, indicating a moderate level of procrastination tendency within the sample and the mean score of indecisiveness scale is 70.8, suggesting a high level of indecisiveness within the sample. The scores of standard deviation for procrastination shows 11.4, indicating a moderate amount of variability in procrastination scores within the sample and the standard deviation for indecisiveness shows 9.59, indicating a moderate amount of variability in indecisiveness scores within the sample. 

H01 : There is no significant Relationship between Indecisiveness and Procrastination among young adults.

Table 2:

The correlation between procrastination and Indecisiveness 

To check whether there is any relationship between procrastination and indecisiveness, the scores were subject to Pearson’s correlation coefficient. The results show a positive but weak correlation between the two variables (r- .165). The p-value associated with the correlation coefficient is .075. Since this p-value is greater than .05, the correlation is not statistically significant at the conventional significance level of .05. 

The study is consistent with previous studies that have explored the association between procrastination and related constructs. For example, Ferrari et al. (1995) found a similar weak positive correlation between procrastination and self-esteem, while Lay (1986) reported comparable results when investigating the relationship between procrastination and task aversiveness. While the present study did not yield a significant correlation between procrastination and indecisiveness, it is important to note that this field of research remains dynamic and complex.

H02- There is no significant difference between males and females in their Procrastination.

H03- There is no significant difference between males and females in their Indecisiveness.

Table 3:

Significance of difference between males and females in their procrastination and indecisiveness

The table shows us the mean difference of Procrastination in two groups that are Males and Females is -2.32 indicating, on average, female individuals have slightly lower procrastination scores compared to male individuals, but this difference is not statistically significant. The mean difference of Indecisiveness in two groups is -3.46, indicating on average female individuals have slightly lower indecisiveness scores compared to male individuals, but this difference is again not statistically significant. The standard error of the difference of procrastination and indecisiveness in males and females shows 2.10 and 1.74 respectively. The student's t-statistic is -1.11 for procrastination and -1.98 for indecisiveness. The p-value associated with the t-test for procrastination is .271, which is greater than .05, suggesting the difference in procrastination scores between female and male individuals is nor statistically significant. The p-value associated with the t-test for .050, which is close to .05, suggesting that there is a borderline statistically significant difference in indecisiveness scores between female and male individuals. However, the study’s score doesn’t reach the conventional significance level of .05. In summary, the results accept the null hypothesis that there is no significant difference between male and female individuals with regards to procrastination and results reject the null hypothesis and accept alternative hypothesis stating there is a significant difference between male and female individuals with regards to the Indecisiveness. 

Although this study did not find a significant gender difference in procrastination, nor a conclusive difference in procrastination, the literature on gender and psychological traits is extensive. Future research could delve deeper into potential underlying mechanisms and explore other relevant factors that may contribute to gender differences in procrastination and indecisiveness.

H04- There is no significant difference between undergraduate and postgraduate students in their Procrastination.

H05- There is no significant difference between undergraduate and postgraduate students in their Indecisiveness.

Table 4:

Significance of difference between undergraduate and postgraduate students in their Procrastination and Indecisiveness

The table shows us the mean difference of procrastination in two groups that is graduates and postgraduates is -4.20. This suggests that, on average, postgraduate students have lower procrastination compared to undergraduate individuals and mean difference of indecisiveness between two groups is -1.78. This indicates that, on average, post graduate individuals have slightly lower indecisiveness scores compared to undergraduate individuals, but this difference is not statistically significant. The standard error of the difference for procrastination and indecisiveness is 2.08 and 1.77 respectively. The student’s t-statistic for procrastination is -2.02  and for indecisiveness it is -1.01. The p-value associated with t-test for procrastination is .045, which is less than .05, indicates that there is statistically significant difference between the scores of Post-Graduate and Graduate students. The p-value associated with t-test is .316, which is greater than .05 indicating that there is no statistically significant difference in Post-graduate and Graduate.

In summary, the results reject the Null hypothesis and accept that there is a significant difference between undergraduate and postgraduate students with regards to procrastination and results also accept the null hypothesis that there is no significant difference between undergraduate and postgraduate students with regards to indecisiveness. This finding aligns with previous research suggesting that higher levels of education may be associated with reduced procrastination tendencies (Ferrari et al., 1995).

The following conclusions are drawn based on the research questions raised. 

1. There is no significant relationship between Procrastination and Indecisiveness
2. Males and females do not differ significantly in their procrastination 
3. Males and females differ significantly in their Indecisiveness. 
4. Undergraduate and postgraduate students differ in their Procrastination 
5. Undergraduate and postgraduate students do not differ in their Indecisiveness. 

III. IMPLICATIONS

The results of this study, which looked at the connection between indecision and procrastination in young adults, have significant ramifications for understanding the underlying causes of these behaviors. The findings show that although procrastination and indecision are positively but sluggishly correlated, there was no statistically significant difference across the major demographic groups (such as educational attainment and gender). This shows that factors other than education or gender may be more important in explaining young adults' procrastination and indecision. Future studies could examine additional elements like self-regulation, motivation, or personality qualities that may influence these behaviors. The development of focused strategies and programs with the goal of promoting successful decision-making and execution of tasks, and eventually enhancing overall mental and physical health in this population, depends on understanding the underlying causes of procrastination and indecision in young adults.

IV. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The researcher thanks everyone who contributed to the study and made the research process easier.

Conflict of Interests the author declared no conflicts of interest. 

References

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Copyright

Copyright © 2023 E Ananya Reddy, Deepthi Vijayan. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.