I have got this really strange problem...

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Sorry I didn't write a proper title, but I wasn't sure how to word it in the short title space.
Here's my strange problem: on a Saturday evening a few weeks ago I spent ages writing a list of 100 boys names and 100 girls names, just for something to do, and I got a lot of enjoyment out of it. But, if that had been homework what had to be done, I would have procastinated that and only done it half-arsed.
Also my counsellor told me to write 3 good things about myself within a week, and normally I'm always writing about myself and other things related to myself, but I left that to the very last minute: an hour before my next counsellong session.



Those are just 2 examples, I was just wondering if anyone else can relate, where you are quite happy to make up tasks of your own in your spare time, but if you were asked to do these sorts of tasks, you would think of any excuse not to do it. What could this be?

Last edited by Joe90 on 09 Oct 2012, 3:30 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Enjoying doing things that you chose to do and finding the activities less enjoyable if people tell you to do them?

I think it comes down to the difference between something feeling like an obligation or feeling like a free choice. When I did Theater for fun in college it was a lot more interesting than when I did it for a grade and I tended to put in more hours voluntarily.

Yeah, sort of that. I absolutely love playing songs on my keyboard, but I bet if I was told to record one of my songs on a tape, I bet I would end up putting it off until the last minute, and not wanting to do it.

Ugh! Why do I do this?! !

This phenomenon is actually quite well known and is explained by Tony Atwood in his book. It's in Chapter 9.

I can relate to this. I often procrastinate when I have homework to do. Seriously, this morning, I had to draw several scale drawings of furniture whilst on the bus because I didn't draw them on Monday night! Thankfully, they turned out okay.

Really Shall have to look

You know what's funny is I never liked Tony Atwood's book because it is all about autistic children, but having actually read and absorbed it, I couldn't help but be amused by how much the behaviors and thought patterns of our childhood selves carries into our adult lives. It truly is illuminating, as insightful as if it were written by someone who's lived with autism their whole lives. I put it right up there with books written by Temple Grandin and John Elder Robison.

I do the same. I caught myself today doing math problems in my religion notebook, but when I'm in a math class, I might be writing music in my notebook. I think it's just a matter of resentment at being told to do something as opposed to doing what you want.

I'll have to see if they have this Tony Atwood book at the library. I would love to read about this phenomenon, because I've been like that my whole life.

Yeah, I come up with and solve physics problems and design machines/circuits when I should be reading for my Humanities class. Screw liberal arts anyway, it has nothing to do with my major (pre-pharmacy).

It's called "demand resistence" and it's where you don't mind doing things you want to do, but for some reason you just cannot bring yourself to do the things that you feel pressured or that you have to do.

I've also heard it being called "pathological demand avoidance".