Investigation of academic procrastination problems from the perspective of psychoanalytic self-psychology: A case study

The phenomenon of academic procrastination, which is one of the major problems of the students nowadays, derives from many different factors. It is well known that there is a negative relationship between academic procrastination and academic success, grade point average, final exam scores, and the sense of self-esteem and self-efficacy. It is generally accepted that procrastination is a result of difficulties in self-control and task aversiveness. On the other hand, researchers and clinicians in the psychodynamic approach stress the role of procrastination in mental conflicts. Current literature shows that academic procrastination behaviors can stem from affect and self-esteem regulation problems. In this case study, the psychotherapy process of an academic procrastinator university student, which was conducted with the perspective of Heinz Kohut's psychoanalytic self-psychology, was introduced. Being one of the modern psychoanalytic theories, psychoanalytic self-psychology shifts the emphasis from dynamic conflicts in psychoanalysis to difficulties in self-esteem regulation and self-actualization. In this article, general and clinical literature on procrastination was reviewed, then the theoretical background of the psychotherapy was represented, and finally, the case was analyzed and discussed in this context.