Hesitation
Hesitation is the psychological process of pausing in the course of making a decision or taking an action, typically due to uncertainty as to the best course of action. Hesitation has been described in both positive and negative terms, with some perceiving it as an indication of thoughtfulness, while others characterize it as a sign of indecisiveness or lack of the will to act. In literature, a period of hesitation on the part of a key character has sometimes been depicted as having substantial consequences.
Psychology
Psychologically, hesitation can be described as "the period of inactivity during which the struggle amongst the nascent activities of different mechanisms is proceeding, during which the nascent activities of the mechanisms is alternating".[1] Although hesitation is a form of pause, not all pauses are instances of hesitation. A pause may serve some other purpose, and it has been noted that "the term pause sometimes implies a more or less 'regular' feature of production, whereas hesitation implies an irregularity, an intrusion or disruption in production".[2]
Hesitation is one of the most difficult habits for the student to overcome. Hesitation is due to many causes. Almost all of these causes are the result of a lack of knowledge of the principles.[3]
One common form of hesitation is speech hesitation, wherein a person has difficulty beginning to speak. This hesitation can come from a number of factors, including uncertainty about what to say, and concerns over speaking competence.[4]
I imagine hesitation as being a fecund opening, a gateway to the unconscious and to the nothingness of which Derrida speaks. It is a nothingness that enriches both the dialectical process of analysis and our theoretical speculation. In this context, hesitation is also a deepening of interiority and psychological space –which, for James Hillman, increases through slowness. For Hillman, “This increased interiority means that each new ... inspiration, each hot idea ... will first be drawn through the labyrinthine ways of the soul, which wind it and slow it and nourish it from many sides. ..."[5]
In philosophy and morality
Hesitation can be interpreted positively or negatively. It may be seen by some as evidence of thoughtfulness and due consideration of alternatives before acting, and by others as vacillation or self-doubt.[5] It may be presumed that a properly informed and prepared person should "do the right thing without hesitation".[6]
Hesitation, however, may discourage inspiration; quick decisions may sometimes be preferable. Individuals who value personal or political consistency may not hesitate when they believe they know the correct or appropriate action to be taken; for them hesitation then means rejecting their own significant values or intentions.[7]
"If anyone is among friends or people he knows, and wants their respect, he hesitates before doing anything shameful".[8]
In literature
The common proverbial phrase "he who hesitates is lost" suggests that the time taken while hesitating to act towards obtaining something can lead to the loss of the opportunity to obtain that thing. The phrase is a a rewording of a phrase by playwright Joseph Addison, who wrote in his 1712 play, Cato, a Tragedy:
When love once pleas admission to our hearts
(In spite of all the virtue we can boast)
The woman that deliberates is lost.[9]
References
- ^ Charles Arthur Mercier, Psychology: Normal and Morbid (1901), p. 365.
- ^ Philip Emmert, William Dean Brooks, Methods of research in communication (1970), p. 253.
- ^ W. R. Smith, "Pointers for the Student", The Journal of Commercial Education, Vol. 15 (1900), p. 198.
- ^ John O. Greene, "Speech Preparation Processes and Verbal Fluency", Human Communication Research, Vol. 11, Issue 1 (September 1984), p. 61–84, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2958.1984.tb00038.x.
- ^ a b Stanton Marlan, "Hesitation and Slowness: Gateway To Psyche's Depth", Lyn Cowan, ed., Barcelona 2004 - Edges of Experience: Memory and Emergence (2006), p. 371.
- ^ Peri Roberts, Introduction to Political Thought (2012), p. 290.
- ^ Leonard William Doob, Pursuing Perfection: People, Groups, and Society (1999), p. 149.
- ^ George Lloyd Bird, Frederic Eaton Merwin, The Press and Society: A Book of Readings (1942), p. 292.
- ^ Max Cryer, Common Phrases: And the Amazing Stories Behind Them (2010), p. 131.