Indecisiveness is the inability to make decisions. Indecisiveness may be due to fear or perceived risk of taking responsibility. Indecisiveness is psychological and caused by deep rooted thoughts and emotions linked to previous negative experiences, bad relationships, stress, anxiety or abuse. Indecisiveness can lead to anger, resentment, guilt and avoidance tactics.

Life is an ongoing set of decisions, dilemmas and situations whereby people are forced into choosing what to do even if they're not sure if it's the best course of action. People can be indecisive for any number of reasons but when the ability to make a decision becomes persistent it can lead to negative life experiences or be cause by an underlying mental health problem.

Generally, people are adverse to risk, fearing they may miss out on something or feeling remorse at doing the wrong thing. This irrational need for certainty can be a positive in that it calls for clear intelligent thought when a decision is important. However, if this escalates to the point of always needing to get it right, indecision can trigger excessive worrying and any decisions that are reached may be reversed causing even more worry.

Indecisiveness is often a lack of self-trust and self-confidence. Lacking the confidence to make a right decision often leads to no decision being made at all. It is common for someone who is indecisive to over-research and procrastinate. This is generally an avoidance tactic which delays moving things forward until as late as possible.

Indecisiveness may be a symptom of an underlying psychological condition rather than having a set of symptoms itself. People suffering with depression and anxiety will often be indecisive and those with obsessive compulsive disorder may have difficulty in decision making.

Indecisiveness may be accompanied by irritability, frustration and feelings of guilt or shame.

In the majority of people, indecisiveness is perfectly normal and for some a character trait, however if your decision making process is severely impaired or it is having a detrimental effect on your daily activities then it's important to seek medical help.

Your GP may assess you for psychological problems such as anxiety or depression to see if these conditions are the cause of your indecisiveness. If necessary, the GP will refer you to a mental health specialist to help you understand the underlying reasons for your indecisiveness.

*Source: GoToSee.co.uk

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