Psychology of Time

JOHN G. KUNA, PSYD AND ASSOCIATES

WWW.JOHNGKUNAPSYDANDASSOCIATES.COM
 I. Introduction to the Psychology of Time
 Time is both an objective reality, as well as a subjective psychological construct

 Time could be defined as the physical measurement of motion (ie,

the measurement of the motion of the earth around the sun),

 Time is also a psychological construct

 Examples:

 “A watched pot never boils” = the seeming prolongation of less enjoyable

experiences

 “Time flies when you’re having fun” is indicative of the psychological

phenomenon whereby perception of time is directly proportional to our perceived
level of enjoyment in the present task.
 II. Psychology of Time: A (brief!) review of the
Literature
 There is at present a vast literature on the psychology
of time.

 Grondin, 2010 offers a thorough bibliography.

 Some specific studies:

 Psychology of time as it relates to our emotional state (Droit-Volet and
Meck, 2007),
 Psychology of time and Memory (Fuminori, 2006),
 Children’s perception of time (Droit-Volet, 2013)
 III. The vocabulary of the Psychology of Time

 A distinct lack of clarity and a uniform terminology is

apparent throughout the literature (Hulbert and Lens, 1988;
Nuttin, 1985).

 Time perception, temporal orientation, and time perspective,

are often used equivocally (Hulbert and Lens, 1988).

 Concepts such as temporal experience, subjective experience,

and sense of time are all used interchangeably and indicate
how human beings delineate the passage of time into chunks
or groups.
 IV. Some Operational Definitions

 Time attitude refers to the positive or negative emotional

response when understood in contradistinction towards
past, present or future time periods (Nuttin, 1985).

 Time orientation, on the other hand, involves a defining

which of the above time periods a person tends to favor
(De Volder, 1979).

 Time perception is described as an individual’s subjective

assessment of the passage of time itself.
 V. Some Theoretical Camps

 Nuttin (1985), for example, describes time

perception as a psychological construct containing
four sub-factors: extension, structuralization, and
realism. Nuttin represents a phenomenological
approach to time perception.

 Tulving (2002) on the other hand, coined the term

“chronesthesia” to describe a person’s subjective
experience of time.
 V. A Neurological Approach to Time Perspective

 The increase in new technologies over the past 15 years has led to a
growing body of literature on the perception of time from a
neurological perspective (Coull, Vidal, Nazarian, &Macar, 2004).

 With such a vast literature on the neurological component of time

perception, an exhaustive review would not be possible here.

 Penney and Vaitilingam (2008) provide an invaluable list of tables

obtained through imaging techniques.

 Macar and Vidal (2009) further provide a vital resource for those
interested in EEG data concerning time perception.
 VI. Zimbardo and Boyd (1999)

 They made a significant contribution to the study of time

perception.

 Defined time perspective as the way in which individuals

organize and relate to the dimensions of past, present
and future,

 Created an instrument to measure one’s perspective of

time—the Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory (ZTPI).
 The instrument measures 5 categories of time perspective:

 Past Negative (PN) is indicative of a negative view of the past, and may
possibly indicate past trauma;

 Past Positive (PP) suggests a more positive and receptive view of past events;

 Present Hedonistic (PH), as the name implies, is associated with pleasure

seeking in the present, with lack of concern for future consequences;

 Present Fatalistic (PF) describes a time perspective with lack of hope for the
future, as well as the notion that at present fatalistic forces oversee one’s
actions;

 Future (F) time perspective is concerned with rewards given after achievement
of long term goals.
 VII. Zimbardo and Boyd (1999): The Research

 Found that a Past Negative (PN) time perspective was

correlated with fewer close friends, anxiety, depression and
lower self-esteem (Zimbardo and Boyd, 1999).

 Further research has corroborated this, noting that

individuals with a PN perspective also tend to gamble more
(Wassarman, 2002), and are more likely to be in drug and
alcohol programs (Klingeman, 2001).

 On the other hand, high PP scores were related to higher self-

esteem levels and higher levels of well-being as well as
agreeableness and energy levels (Zimbardo and Boyd, 1999).
 Zimbardo and Boyd, Cont.

 Research on future time perspectives (F) indicates positive

correlates of well-being such as less psychopathy (Wallace, 1956,
cited in Zimbardo and Boyd, 1999) and higher levels of academic
achievement (Zimbardo and Boyd, 1999),

 It has also been suggested that an overemphasis on a future time

perspective inhibits spontaneity as well as an inability to enjoy the
present (Boniwell and Zimbardo, 2004).

 Finally, while some research has indicated that Present temporal

focus is associated with general subjective happiness
(Csikszentrnihalyi, 1992; Keough, et a1., 1999), a Present Temporal
focus could also be concerned with instant gratification and a lack of
regard for the consequences of behavior.
 Next: An introduction to the concept of
Mindfulness; an analysis of empirical studies
correlating Mindfulness and Perception of Time with
Subjective Well-Being (both eudaimonic and henonic
SWB).

 Implications for clinical practice will be offered.

 References

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