Compulsive Vs. Impulsive Behaviors: Understanding the Differences

Key Differences Between Compulsive Vs. Impulsive Behaviors

What Are Compulsive Behaviors?

Compulsive behaviors are habits and routines that are repeated in a methodical manner, usually according to a set of strict rules or standards. People who engage in compulsive behaviors tend to be highly anxious and rely on their compulsive behaviors to feel more in control of themselves and their environment. Over time, compulsive behaviors can interfere with a person’s ability to function.^{1, 4, 5}

Compulsivity is also a personality trait that is linked to rigidness, perfectionism, and a desire to be in control. People who have more compulsive personalities are more likely to struggle with compulsive behaviors and may also be at higher risk for certain disorders like obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). For people with OCD, compulsive behaviors like excessive cleaning, obsessive checking, or hoarding are attempts to alleviate anxiety caused by obsessive thoughts.^{2, 5, 6}

Examples of compulsive behavior include:

• Organizing things in alphabetical order
• Excessively picking at scabs or scars on your skin
• Needing to check and recheck the door to ensure it’s locked
• Obsessively counting or tracking food and calories
• Needing to arrange and rearrange items to be even or ‘just right’
• Feeling required to ‘confess’ mistakes to someone
• Doing excessive research online before making a small purchase

What Are Impulsive Behaviors?

Impulsive behaviors are ones that are made quickly and without thinking. Impulsive behaviors are driven by strong urges, and the instant gratification they bring can overshadow the negative consequences that come later. People who engage in impulsive behaviors often struggle with self-discipline and emotion regulation. Their tendency to behave impulsively can cause many destructive problems in their careers and relationships.^{1, 4}

Impulsivity is also considered a personality trait that is linked to poor executive functioning, an inability to delay gratification and risk-taking behavior.³ Impulsivity is linked to a number of different mental health conditions, like attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), borderline personality disorder (BPD), and substance use disorders.^{5, 7}

Examples of impulsive behavior include:

• Binge eating unhealthy snacks
• Calling out of work to hang out or party with friends
• Spending a lot of money on unnecessary impulse purchases
• Repeatedly texting an ex when drinking and regretting it the next day
• Yelling at a colleague when feeling stressed or angry
• Overindulging in alcohol or drugs after a difficult day at work

What Is the Difference Between Compulsive Vs. Impulsive Behaviors?

In both compulsive and impulsive behavior patterns, a person struggles to make responsible and sound decisions in a stressful situation. The main differences between compulsive and impulsive behavior are in the amount of planning that goes into them, the motives that drive them, and the types of problems and consequences they tend to cause in a person’s life.^{1, 2, 3, 4, 6}

Differences between compulsive and impulsive behaviors include:

Planning & Timing

Compulsive behaviors tend to be driven by predictable habits, routines, and a rehearsed set of steps or actions a person repeats over and over. Impulsive behaviors involve almost no planning or forethought and are much more spontaneous than compulsive behaviors. In other words, compulsive behaviors involve too much planning and forethought, while impulsive behaviors involve too little. Most impulsive behaviors are poorly planned and made too quickly.^{1, 3, 4}

Motivation Behind the Behavior

Compulsive behaviors are usually driven by fear and anxiety and a desire to lessen risk and feel more safe and secure. Impulsive behaviors, on the other hand, are more likely to be driven by strong urges and desires. In this way, there is more likely to be a ‘reward’ involved in impulsive behaviors, while compulsive behaviors are more likely to be compensatory in nature, aimed at counteracting the effects of anxious thoughts or feelings.^{1, 3, 7}

Nature of the Actions

Because most compulsive behaviors are driven by anxiety, they tend to be more cautious, rigid, and conservative than impulsive behaviors. For example, most compulsive behaviors wouldn’t be described as dangerous or reckless in nature, unlike impulsive behaviors. Impulsive behaviors tend to involve more risk-taking, recklessness, and irresponsibility than compulsive behaviors do.^{1, 3, 7}

Psychological Effect

Compulsive and impulsive behaviors have differing drives, and therefore, they also have differing effects on a person’s mood and mental health. Compulsive behaviors tend to be highly rigid, strict, and routine-oriented and are used to counteract anxiety, doubt, and uncertainty. Impulsive behaviors are more spontaneous, disorganized, and sudden. They tend to bring immediate feelings of pleasure followed by guilt and remorse once the consequences take effect.³

Personality Traits & Tendencies

Certain personalities are drawn more towards compulsive behaviors, and others are drawn more to impulsive behaviors. People with rigid, perfectionistic, and Type A personalities are more likely to struggle with compulsivity and tend to score high in traits like conscientiousness and introversion. People with more extroverted and open personalities are more likely to struggle with impulsivity and may also have a harder time with organization, planning, and self-discipline.⁶

Predictability & Control

Compulsive behaviors are usually very predictable and controlled and are based on routines and habits the person repeats on a regular basis. The people who struggle the most with compulsive behaviors also tend to have a strong preference for predictability and control, while impulsive people don’t. Impulsive behaviors are the opposite of this and tend to be highly unpredictable, irresponsible, and hastily executed.^{1, 2, 3, 6}

Long-Term Impact

In the long run, both compulsive and impulsive behaviors can become problematic, interfering with a person’s quality of life and ability to function.⁵ While the specific impacts can vary from person to person, compulsive behaviors tend to cause people to become overly rigid, inflexible, and afraid to try new things. Impulsivity tends to cause the opposite problem, leading people to spiral into irresponsible, destructive, or addictive behavior patterns.^{3, 7}

Functioning & Impairment

Both compulsive and impulsive behaviors can interfere with a person’s ability to function or cause impairments in their daily lives, but these tend to manifest differently. People who are impulsive are a lot more likely to become irresponsible and unable to meet expectations and manage their responsibilities at work and home.^{3, 5, 7} Compulsive people are more likely to get fixated on routines they believe make them more productive while neglecting their social and emotional needs.^{1, 2}

Self-Control & Discipline

The last important difference between compulsive and impulsive behaviors has to do with the amount of self-control and discipline involved in each behavior pattern. Compulsive behaviors usually involve an excessive amount of self-control and discipline, and a person will use their self-control and discipline to force themselves to complete them. Impulsive behaviors involve very little self-control and are often the result of someone giving in to destructive urges and temptations.^{1, 3, 4}

How to Identify Impulsive Vs. Compulsive Behaviors

An impulsive behavior is usually a decision made quickly and without consideration of the consequences. Strong urges are the best indicator of impulsivity and are more likely to show up during times when stress or emotions are running high. Regret and remorse after making a choice too quickly are other good indications of impulsive behavior.^{3, 7}

In contrast, compulsive behaviors are ones that are repetitive and habitual and have a strict and specific set of steps involved. Most of the time, feelings of anxiety and a desire to control the process are strong indicators of compulsivity. It’s even more likely that behavior is compulsive when the act of completing it brings a feeling of relief, calmness, or a lessening of anxiety.^{2, 4, 5}

How to Cope With Compulsive Vs. Impulsive Behaviors

Impulsive behaviors are related to deficits in executive functioning, self-discipline, and decision-making. Individuals struggling with impulsivity can cope by learning skills to slow down before acting on an impulsive urge, giving time to challenge it.³ Compulsive behaviors are often related to issues with anxiety, inflexibility, and overthinking. Individuals who struggle with compulsivity can cope by practicing mindfulness, acceptance, and exposure to feared situations.^{1, 2}

Here are some tips for how to cope with compulsive behaviors:

• Add more flexibility to your routine: Keeping your routine varied and flexible will prevent new compulsions from taking root in your schedule. Try to switch things up by doing things at different times, in different ways, or in a different order than you normally do them.
• Start a daily mindfulness routine: Mindfulness is one of the best ways to train your mind to be more present and less captured by endless thought loops and spirals. Consider downloading a meditation app, trying a guided meditation, or just spending 20 minutes each morning focusing on your body, breath, or surroundings.
• Push yourself out of your comfort zone: Novelty is a great antidote for compulsivity, so finding ways to leave your comfort zone on a regular basis is one of the best ways to help yourself. Trying new restaurants and activities or going to new places is a great way to avoid getting trapped in stale, compulsive routines and habits.
• Identify rigid rules and beliefs: Rigid rules and ideas about how, when, and in what order things should be done can fuel the control issues behind your compulsive habits. Identifying the rules helps you become more able to recognize and interrupt them in the moment. Start the process by making a list of all of the rigid rules and beliefs that fuel your compulsive habits and routines.
• Turn your ‘what ifs’ into ‘even ifs’: A simple CBT strategy for anxiety that can help you challenge the anxious and worried thoughts holding you back is to take your ‘what if’ statements and turn them into ‘even if’ statements. By doing this, you may realize that your worst fear isn’t actually as bad as you imagined, and you’ll also prompt your worried mind to help you come up with a plan of what to do in the unlikely event it comes true.
• Slow down and learn to relax: Most people with compulsive habits are wound up pretty tightly and could really benefit from slowing down, letting go, and learning how to relax. Make a list of relaxing activities and self-care ideas and try to make time a few times a week for one of them, or more often, on really busy or stressful weeks.
• Use your sense of humor to lighten up: A sense of humor can go a long way towards helping you lighten up, let go, and stop sweating the small stuff. If you can’t find the humor in a situation, consider blowing off some steam by watching a comedy or spending time with someone who always makes you laugh.

Here are some tips for how to cope with impulsive behaviors:

• Practice HALT: HALT is an acronym for hungry, angry, lonely, and tired, which are four states that make you a lot more likely to make an impulsive decision. Keep this in mind and try to plan ahead for times when you might be more vulnerable to the effects of stress or more tempted by unhealthy impulses.
• Plan ahead: Planning ahead is one of the best ways to prevent impulsive decisions. Consider trying to schedule time on a weekly basis (or more often) to plan ahead for times when you are going to need to practice impulse control. Writing your goal and plan down or telling a friend might also help, making you more likely to follow through.
• Limit access to temptations: One of the best ways to avoid making a poor, impulsive choice is to limit your exposure to temptations by making them harder to access. Getting rid of unhealthy foods or alcohol in the home or leaving your wallet at home are examples of simple ways to limit your access to temptations.
• Focus on your ‘why’: In moments when you make an impulsive decision, it’s usually because you forgot to weigh out the negative consequences. To avoid making this mistake, try to remind yourself often of the reasons why you want to make better choices (i.e. improve your health, relationship, financial security, etc). The more connected you are to the strongest sources of motivation, the less likely you are to forget to factor them into your decision-making process.
• Practice urge surfing: Urges follow a predictable pattern that feels like a wave rising up inside, rising up in intensity, and eventually cresting and subsiding. Urge surfing is a mindfulness technique that can help you focus on the sensations in your body, tracking the movement of this wave and waiting until it passes before acting. Use this skill to ‘surf’ the urges you experience without acting on them.
• Reflect back on past choices: A lot of people who struggle with impulsivity don’t like looking back at their past because it stirs up a lot of guilt and shame, but doing so can also be a good way to figure out what needs to change. Consider reflecting back on some of your recent mistakes and figuring out what triggered you and how you could respond differently next time.
• Get back on the wagon quickly: As you work on behaving less impulsively, you can expect to have some setbacks and relapses. When they occur, don’t make the mistake of going into self-sabotage mode and making things worse. Instead, get back on track quickly. You’ll feel better about yourself, and it will also be easier than if you allow yourself to slide all the way back into a bad habit for weeks or months.

When to Seek Professional Support

Anyone who is struggling with impulsive or compulsive behaviors should consider seeking help from a licensed counselor or professional. With professional treatment, it’s usually possible to learn skills and strategies that can help you regain a sense of control over yourself and your behavior. Waiting until the problems worsen can make them more difficult to treat, so seeking treatment early provides the best chance for a full recovery.

Many people begin their search for a therapist online, using an online therapist directory that allows them to narrow their search by location, insurance, and area of specialty. Specialized therapies, like exposure and response prevention (ERP), are an evidence-based treatment for people with compulsive behaviors. For impulsive behaviors, behavior therapies like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) could be a better option, helping you develop the self-awareness, impulse control, and coping skills needed to make lasting changes to your behavior.⁸