The relationship between spontaneity and inhibition

Inhibition has both positive and negative connotations; positive in that it can ward off distractions and interferences helping to effectively focus on the task at hand, and negative in that it prevents self-disclosure. The present investigation includes two studies. The first explored the relationship between spontaneity, as measured by the Revised Spontaneity Assessment Inventory (SAI-R [Kipper, D. A., & Shemer, H. (2006). The Spontaneity Assessment Inventory-Revised (SAI-R): Spontaneity, well-being and stress. Journal of Group Psychotherapy, Psychodrama & Sociometry, 59, 127–136]) and positive inhibition as reflected in the impact of the Stroop effect ( Stroop, 1935) using the Press Test [Beahr, M. E, & Corsini, R. J. (2000). The Press Test information guide. Minneapolis, MN: NCS Pearson]. The participants in both studies were students at Roosevelt University, Chicago. As predicted, the results show that spontaneity correlated positively with the performance on the third part of the Press Test, which measures the ability to ward off distractions and is related to the executive functions of the brain. The second study investigated the relationship between spontaneity and emotional inhibition using the SAI-R and The Emotional Control Questionnaire: ECQ [Roger, D., & Najarian, B. (1989). The construction and validation of a new scale for measuring emotion control. Personality and Individual Differences, 10, 845–853]. As predicted there was a negative correlation between spontaneity and the maladaptive inhibition subscales. There was a positive correlation only on one of the two adaptive subscales.