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> “It’s self-harm,” said Dr. Piers Steel, a professor of motivational psychology I'm in the unfortunate position of being a layman who disagrees with an expert

> “It’s self-harm,” said Dr. Piers Steel, a professor of motivational psychology I'm in the unfortunate position of being a layman who disagrees with an expert, but isn't it a bit inaccurate and confusing to call it "self-harm"? Doesn't that term already have a specific meaning? As I understand it, self-harm (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-harm https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-harm) is a behavior where someone seeks out pain (such as by cutting themselves). It can be because focusing on pain allows temporary escape from other thoughts, or maybe for other reasons, but in any case the pain is something the person seeks out and is an essential part of the process. It seems like "self-destructive" might be a better term to use when talking about procrastination. If I put off cleaning my bathroom, I'm avoiding something I can't/won't face, and that is going to come with feelings of guilt or shame, but I'm not seeking out that suffering as a tool for dealing with something else. It's just a side-effect of the choice to avoid something. Or, if it really is (a non-physical form of) self-harm, can someone explain how? Are they saying the feeling of guilt over not cleaning my bathroom alleviates the feelings of unpleasantness associated with having to scrub the shower? That doesn't seem right, but maybe there are two types of procrastination, a "light" one where the task is just unpleasant and says nothing about you (cleaning the shower) and a "serious" one where the task might reflect on you (learning to do something you don't think you're capable of)? I could imagine how self-harm might fit in with the "serious" form because maybe guilt over not trying could serve a purpose distracting you from the more-unpleasant feeling of doubt over whether you actually can do it.

ComputerGuru 8y ago
The presumption here is that the task you are avoiding is - somehow - in your best interests (directly or indirectly, e.g. going to the gym directly makes you healthier while completing that report for your boss might not directly help you but it is certainly in your best interest to have a job and not be fired) or otherwise you wouldn't be doing it. Not doing something that is good for yourself is doing something bad to yourself, i.e. self harm. If it were phrased as "someone throwing a fit at work and insulting everyone with the intention of getting themselves fired so that they would no longer have a means of income," I think we can both agree that going out of your way to not have a job (not just this job) is definitely self-harm. It's in the same vein.
- adrianmonk 8y ago
  I'm trying to make a distinction between harmful (or self-destructive) behavior and self-harm. As I understand it, "self-harm" is a term with a very specific meaning that goes beyond making choices that lead to bad consequences.
  - ComputerGuru 8y ago
    I guess I wasn't clear. I understand that, "self-harm" is a very specific psychological term that encompasses activities like cutting and attempted suicide. I meant that certain non-physical, indirectly harmful activities could be interpreted as falling under the category of self-harm while not meeting the classical definition. As I mentioned, if someone with the intention of hurting themselves or causing theirself pain (and not with that just being a side-effect/result) instigated a fight at work to get themselves fired and out of a job, you don't have to squint too hard to see it in that light. e.g. classic self-harm: someone feels like they don't deserve to be happy or need to feel some physical pain to wake up or what have you, and engages in cutting, directly bringing that harm to themselves. Someone feels like a fraud (without having engaged in any deception or the equivalent that would objectively result in others labeling them as such) and decides that they don't deserve the job they have with its pay and benefits, and so takes measures to make sure they are out of a job and a livelihood, and end up homeless and eating out of trash bins. Self-harm, no? Someone gets angry at a boss/colleague and can't restrain themselves from starting a physical altercation and gets fired/loses their livelihood.. not so much self-harm. So it's a question of perspective.

ComputerGuru 8y ago

The presumption here is that the task you are avoiding is - somehow - in your best interests (directly or indirectly, e.g. going to the gym directly makes you healthier while completing that report for your boss might not directly help you but it is certainly in your best interest to have a job and not be fired) or otherwise you wouldn't be doing it. Not doing something that is good for yourself is doing something bad to yourself, i.e. self harm. If it were phrased as "someone throwing a fit at work and insulting everyone with the intention of getting themselves fired so that they would no longer have a means of income," I think we can both agree that going out of your way to not have a job (not just this job) is definitely self-harm. It's in the same vein.

adrianmonk 8y ago
I'm trying to make a distinction between harmful (or self-destructive) behavior and self-harm. As I understand it, "self-harm" is a term with a very specific meaning that goes beyond making choices that lead to bad consequences.
- ComputerGuru 8y ago
  I guess I wasn't clear. I understand that, "self-harm" is a very specific psychological term that encompasses activities like cutting and attempted suicide. I meant that certain non-physical, indirectly harmful activities could be interpreted as falling under the category of self-harm while not meeting the classical definition. As I mentioned, if someone with the intention of hurting themselves or causing theirself pain (and not with that just being a side-effect/result) instigated a fight at work to get themselves fired and out of a job, you don't have to squint too hard to see it in that light. e.g. classic self-harm: someone feels like they don't deserve to be happy or need to feel some physical pain to wake up or what have you, and engages in cutting, directly bringing that harm to themselves. Someone feels like a fraud (without having engaged in any deception or the equivalent that would objectively result in others labeling them as such) and decides that they don't deserve the job they have with its pay and benefits, and so takes measures to make sure they are out of a job and a livelihood, and end up homeless and eating out of trash bins. Self-harm, no? Someone gets angry at a boss/colleague and can't restrain themselves from starting a physical altercation and gets fired/loses their livelihood.. not so much self-harm. So it's a question of perspective.