Malicious Motivation and ADHD
A key component of ADHD is suffering from executive functioning difficulties. This involves your ability to initiate tasks, plan, organise and time manage.
People with ADHD often compensate for their executive functioning difficulties by overusing their limbic system (which controls emotions and memory).
These motivation strategies are called ‘malicious motivation’ by Tamara Rosier. Examples are below. These examples are targets of treatment in ADHD as they can contribute to depression and anxiety.
· Using anxious thoughts on a task as motivation. It’s like gasoline on a flame where you use a wicked wave of fear and anxiety to push yourself to act.
· Anger. You may have a lot of people angry at you growing up and learned it was effective tool for motivation. When no one else is around you use anger to motivate yourself.
· Shame. You may be self-critic and tell yourself you’re incompetent, damaged, incompetent, weak or stupid as a way to motivate yourself.
· Procrastination. You may become so overwhelmed that you can’t start tasks at all.
· Perfectionism. You may try to do things perfectly, or not at all.
Notes from book ‘Your Brain is Not Broken’ by Tamara Rosier