Mon, Sep 28, 2026
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1- Student Research Committee, Department of Clinical Psychology, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
2- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Education and Psychology, Azarbaijan Shahid Madani University, Tabriz, Iran.
3- Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Health and Metabolic Diseases Research Institute, Zanjan University of Medical Sciences, Zanjan, Iran ,saedomid@gmail.com
2- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Education and Psychology, Azarbaijan Shahid Madani University, Tabriz, Iran.
3- Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Health and Metabolic Diseases Research Institute, Zanjan University of Medical Sciences, Zanjan, Iran ,
Abstract: (11 Views)
Background & Objective: Academic procrastination is widely recognized as a persistent self-regulation problem among university students, but it is often reduced to poor time management. From the perspective of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), procrastination can be understood as a manifestation of psychological inflexibility, experiential avoidance, and cognitive fusion. This narrative review examines academic procrastination from the ACT perspective to clarify its underlying psychological processes and implications for intervention.
Materials & Methods: A narrative review was conducted using PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar, with searches focused primarily on publications from 2010 to 2026. Search terms included academic procrastination, acceptance and commitment therapy, psychological flexibility, experiential avoidance, cognitive fusion, and procrastination interventions. Empirical studies, randomized controlled trials, meta-analyses, and relevant theoretical papers were considered, while studies involving clinical populations, non-academic forms of procrastination, or insufficiently relevant evidence were excluded. The identified literature was synthesized thematically according to key processes of acceptance and commitment therapy.
Results: The literature was organized into five interrelated areas: psychological inflexibility as a central mechanism; experiential avoidance and cognitive fusion as maintaining processes; values clarification and committed action as potentially protective processes; the role of present-moment awareness and mindfulness; and preliminary evidence regarding ACT-based interventions. Overall, the findings suggest that psychological inflexibility may provide a useful framework for understanding academic procrastination.
Conclusion: Academic procrastination appears to involve more than difficulties with time management and may be closely related to psychological inflexibility and avoidance-based emotion regulation. ACT provides a theoretically coherent framework for understanding these processes and may offer useful directions for counseling, prevention, and educational interventions, including those in medical education.
Materials & Methods: A narrative review was conducted using PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar, with searches focused primarily on publications from 2010 to 2026. Search terms included academic procrastination, acceptance and commitment therapy, psychological flexibility, experiential avoidance, cognitive fusion, and procrastination interventions. Empirical studies, randomized controlled trials, meta-analyses, and relevant theoretical papers were considered, while studies involving clinical populations, non-academic forms of procrastination, or insufficiently relevant evidence were excluded. The identified literature was synthesized thematically according to key processes of acceptance and commitment therapy.
Results: The literature was organized into five interrelated areas: psychological inflexibility as a central mechanism; experiential avoidance and cognitive fusion as maintaining processes; values clarification and committed action as potentially protective processes; the role of present-moment awareness and mindfulness; and preliminary evidence regarding ACT-based interventions. Overall, the findings suggest that psychological inflexibility may provide a useful framework for understanding academic procrastination.
Conclusion: Academic procrastination appears to involve more than difficulties with time management and may be closely related to psychological inflexibility and avoidance-based emotion regulation. ACT provides a theoretically coherent framework for understanding these processes and may offer useful directions for counseling, prevention, and educational interventions, including those in medical education.
Keywords: academic procrastination, students, universities, acceptance and commitment therapy, psychological flexibility, experiential avoidance, cognitive fusion
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