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Encyclopedia of Clinical Neuropsychology pp 1189–1192Cite as

Disinhibition

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Synonyms

Impulsivity

Definition

Disinhibition can be defined as the inability to withhold a prepotent response or suppress an inappropriate or unwanted behavior. It can refer to the production of socially inappropriate comments and/or actions.

Historical Background

Inhibition has been a topic of study in the field of psychology and physiology since the nineteenth century. Early work on inhibition focused on trying to understand control of behavior and the interaction between structure and function. Many scholars were involved in shaping early ideas about inhibition, and the following are noteworthy contributors: Marshall Hall, Alexander Bain, Theodor Ribot, Ivan Pavlov, and B.F. Skinner.

Current Knowledge

Disinhibition can include a wide variety of behaviors, such as impulsivity (e.g., aggression, impatience, binge eating, gambling), risk taking, novelty or sensation seeking, carelessness, perseveration, acquired extroversion, nonplanning, a preference for smaller immediate rewards...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, USA

    Anneliese Radke & Deborah A. Cahn-Weiner

  2. Center for Aging in Diverse Communities, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA

    Julene K. Johnson

Authors
  1. Anneliese Radke
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  2. Deborah A. Cahn-Weiner
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  3. Julene K. Johnson
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Anneliese Radke .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA

    Jeffrey S. Kreutzer

  2. Kessler Foundation, Pleasant Valley Way, West Orange, NJ, USA

    John DeLuca

  3. Independent Practice, Wynnewood, PA, USA

    Bruce Caplan

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Radke, A., Cahn-Weiner, D.A., Johnson, J.K. (2018). Disinhibition. In: Kreutzer, J.S., DeLuca, J., Caplan, B. (eds) Encyclopedia of Clinical Neuropsychology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-57111-9_1293

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