Book contents
- Making Decisions: Analytics, Cognition, and Application
- Making Decisions: Analytics, Cognition, and Application
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- Copyright Acknowledgements
- Part I Analytics: Probability, Evaluation, Decision Trees, and Strategies for Decision Making
- Introduction to Part II: Cognitive Processes of Decision Making
- Part III Applications, Examples, and Selected Topics
- 10 Signal Detection Theory: How to Detect the Important Signal against the Distracting Background and Take Action as Appropriate Based on the Signal
- 11 Game Theory as Applied to Real-World Decisions
- 12 Decision Making under Stress: Staying Ahead of Rapidly Changing Events and Making Difficult, Time-Critical Decisions
- 13 Decision Making Involving Disputes, Negotiation, and Conflict
- 14 Multi-attribute Utility Decisions: Making Complex and Multidimensional Decisions
- 15 Common Decision Traps and How to Avoid Them
- 16 Overcoming Indecisiveness by Understanding What Causes It
- 17 Looking Back and Looking Ahead: What about Emotion, Culture, Artificial Intelligence, and Intuition?
- References
- Index
- References
16 - Overcoming Indecisiveness by Understanding What Causes It
from Part III - Applications, Examples, and Selected Topics
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 23 October 2025
Book contents
- Making Decisions: Analytics, Cognition, and Application
- Making Decisions: Analytics, Cognition, and Application
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- Copyright Acknowledgements
- Part I Analytics: Probability, Evaluation, Decision Trees, and Strategies for Decision Making
- Introduction to Part II: Cognitive Processes of Decision Making
- Part III Applications, Examples, and Selected Topics
- 10 Signal Detection Theory: How to Detect the Important Signal against the Distracting Background and Take Action as Appropriate Based on the Signal
- 11 Game Theory as Applied to Real-World Decisions
- 12 Decision Making under Stress: Staying Ahead of Rapidly Changing Events and Making Difficult, Time-Critical Decisions
- 13 Decision Making Involving Disputes, Negotiation, and Conflict
- 14 Multi-attribute Utility Decisions: Making Complex and Multidimensional Decisions
- 15 Common Decision Traps and How to Avoid Them
- 16 Overcoming Indecisiveness by Understanding What Causes It
- 17 Looking Back and Looking Ahead: What about Emotion, Culture, Artificial Intelligence, and Intuition?
- References
- Index
- References
Summary
Overcoming a feeling of indecisiveness is not just a question of understanding the mathematical models, strategies, and psychological aspects of decision-making. Indecision can be a valid and reasonable reaction to a specific situation or a particular question being asked. However, an ongoing feeling of indecisiveness may be rooted in the personality and self-perception of the individual. The feeling of indecisiveness may sometimes not be just a desire to make the best decision, but also a fear of making the wrong decision and the fear of being criticized by others for having made the wrong decision. This chapter will address the circumstances where indecision can be a very reasonable response to case-specific situations. But it will also examine the psychological underpinnings of a broader sense of indecisiveness, how fear can sometimes cause either indecisiveness or emotionally based and unexamined hasty decisions, as well as strategies for overcoming indecisiveness.
Keywords
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- Information
- Making Decisions: Analytics, Cognition, and Application , pp. 228 - 246Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2025
References
Recommended Reading
McGinnis, P. J. (2020). Fear of missing out: Practical decision-making in a world of overwhelming choice. Sourcebooks.Google Scholar
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