Self Worth Theory: The Key to Understanding & Overcoming Procrastination | Nic Voge | TEDxPrincetonU

The speaker reflects on their experience as a PhD student at UC Berkeley, where they attended a seminar on self-worth theory taught by a renowned psychology professor. Despite the seminar's topic not aligning with their research interests, they found it profoundly influential on their academic life and understanding of human nature. The speaker credits this experience with altering their perspective on procrastination, which they plan to share with the audience. They introduce the idea that procrastination is not merely a bad habit but has deeper motivational roots, and they aim to provide a new ethical understanding of it. The speaker also humorously notes the prevalence of procrastination at Princeton, highlighting the competitive and evaluative environment that can contribute to such behavior.

The speaker delves into the psychological underpinnings of procrastination, drawing from self-worth theory and achievement motivation. They describe a common procrastination scenario to resonate with the audience and then discuss the theory that our self-worth is deeply tied to our perceived competence and ability. The speaker explains that in an academic setting, this translates to being seen as smart or skilled, and the fear of failure can lead to procrastination as a protective measure for self-concept. The speaker emphasizes the importance of understanding these dynamics to overcome procrastination and encourages introspection to apply this understanding to one's own life, regardless of being a teacher, student, or parent.

The speaker explores the dual nature of motivation, where individuals can simultaneously desire to achieve success and fear failure. This complex interplay often results in procrastination, which the speaker argues is not due to laziness or poor time management but rather an overmotivation driven by the fear of failure. The speaker introduces a model that illustrates the connection between performance, ability, and self-worth, and how this can lead to a simplistic equation in the minds of procrastinators. They challenge the audience to view procrastination not as self-sabotage but as a self-protective strategy to maintain self-worth, even at the expense of performance.

The speaker outlines three broad strategies derived from self-worth theory to combat procrastination. The first strategy involves developing awareness of the underlying motivations and feelings associated with approach and avoidance. The second strategy focuses on shifting the balance from avoidance to approach motivations by identifying and emphasizing the positive reasons for undertaking a task. The speaker shares personal techniques such as viewing the task as an opportunity for experimentation, service, alignment with personal mission, and breaking the task into manageable pieces. These strategies aim to help individuals overcome the fear and stuckness associated with procrastination and to move forward with their tasks.

In the final paragraph, the speaker challenges the flawed equation that equates performance with ability and worth. They argue that performance does not always represent one's capacity and that ability is not the sole determinant of a person's worth. The speaker encourages the audience to consider the human qualities of kindness and thoughtfulness as the true measures of worth, rather than academic achievements. They conclude with a powerful quote from Nelson Mandela, urging the audience to make choices based on hope and aspirations rather than fear, thereby adopting an approach-avoidance motivation theory that is driven by positive motivations rather than fear.