I used to think I was indecisive, but now I'm not too sure.
(Tommy Cooper)
Indecisiveness in Men
Indecisiveness is one of the human traits, characterized by
inability to make a decision, no matter how big or how small it is. When the
boy is small, all decisions are made for him by his parents. In process of
growing up, bigger and bigger portion of the decisions and associated with them
responsibilities is transferred to him. And finally time comes, when the young
man has to learn making decisions in all spheres of the life, and in many cases
not just for himself: at work, home, and among friends.
Yes, a real man makes decisions. It is either ‘yes’ or ‘no’
but it is one of the two. The attractiveness of making decisions ties in with taking
responsibility. A man who makes decisions differentiates himself from the
others because he is willing to take risk, trust his own judgment and accept
the consequences thereof. He might not always be certain if his decision is the
right one and if it will lead to the best result, but it is the best decision
he can make at the time. The real man knows that not making a decision at all
is worse than making the wrong one. If he makes a mistake and he made the wrong
choice, he will correct it and learn from his mistake.
Decisions, decisions and more decisions! The fear of making
serious decisions is a new kind of fear, called decidophobia, proclaimed
by Walter Kaufmann at Princeton University in 1973. The fear of making the
wrong decisions is well known to any responsible manager. As Eleanor Roosevelt
said, "You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in
which you really stop to look fear in the face." Wherever you see a
successful business, someone once made a courageous decision. There has never
yet been a person in the history of mankind who led a life of ease whose name
is worth remembering. The difficulty in life is the choice.
"If an important decision is to be made [the Persians] discuss the question when they are drunk and the following day the master of the house...submits their decision for reconsideration when they are sober. If they still approve it, it is adopted; if not, it is abandoned. Conversely, any decision they make when they are sober is reconsidered afterwards when they are drunk"(Herodotus, The Histories, 450 B.C.).
Life is not easy from the very beginning, but on top of
that, at the moment, when grown up man earned certain reputation, life status,
and acquired substantial life experience, andropause strikes, and your
decision-making abilities can be affected as well. The basic problem source is
actually the same as the one causing all other male menopause symptoms –
declining testosterone levels.
There are general approaches in andropause symptoms treatment,
ranging from lifestyle adjustments to hormone replacement therapy (HRT), depending
on the severity of the symptoms appearance. But, even if indecisiveness signs,
you noticed in yourself, are barely visible, do not let it be, adjust your
attitude, arrange mental and physical body maintenance, and push back. You are
a man after all! Give yourself more rest and treat your physical and emotional
well-being with great respect. Find underlining reasons for your inability to
make valid decision in particular case, may be you are looking at the problem
from the wrong perspectives at all, and you need to refresh your perception?
If you have even slight suspicion that the problem with your
indecisiveness looks more severe, and impact your life in major way, turn to
the specialists. Discuss the troubling you issues with professional therapist
and family doctor.
“At sixteen I was stupid, confused and indecisive. At twenty-five I was wise, self-confident, prepossessing and assertive. At forty-five, I am stupid, confused, insecure and indecisive. Who would have supposed that maturity is only a short break in adolescence?” (Jules Feiffer).
Other Causes
Mental Causes for Indecisiveness
Often the causes of "chronic
Indecisiveness or lack of proper decision making skill" are more
mental than physical. A bad relationship, poor self image, a history of abuse,
stress, frustration and many other factors can change your overall attitude
towards life which may directly impede your overall performance. Such
tendencies are deep-rooted in mind and nurtured by excessive negative emotions, which are
tremendously powerful. They can debilitate lives extremely quick by causing
disparity in energy system, which triggers a sequence of emotional imbalance
(i.e. frustration, melancholia, persistent agony, mental instability,
uncontrolled anger, inferiority complex etc.), eventually culminating in ill
health and physical well-being.
There is no "indecision disorder" listed in the
DSM (the diagnosis book for psychiatry/psychology/social work). However, in
more severe cases, indecisiveness may be just one of the multiple symptoms of tougher
mental diseases, like obsessive compulsive disorder and obsessive compulsive
personality disorder, yet very little research has been done examining its
nature and measurement. It is quite understandable, why some therapists call
obsessive compulsive disorder “The Doubting Illness.”
While the indecision disorder did not make the way to the
books yet, the pretty unusual and rare mental disease, Aboulomania, has been already recognized. This
mental disorder causes extreme indecisiveness, which must be really annoying
for not only the sufferers, but for their friends and loved ones. It does make
you wonder how an aboulomaniac can ever leave the house in the morning, since
such a severe inability to make a decision on anything must make picking out
the day’s outfit even more challenging than it already seems to be for so many
non-sufferers.
Chemical Causes for Indecisiveness
While the condition is common and familiar to every human
being, there are very few researches, which investigate the background of this
condition. Based on some latest researches, most sufferers are drawn into
indecision, or hesitancy, due to worry or an over-active thyroid gland.
In two articles, published recently in leading medical
journals, there were proposed new theories, explaining indecisiveness causes
differently, but both with unorthodox unique approach: in the first article, that
indecision has been attributed to the presence of the certain gene in affected
individual (the "wavering" gene), while the second post linked it to
a virus transmitted by green or blue budgerigars or parrots.
Sources and Additional
Information:
