Inhibition is the unconscious and conscious restriction of behavior. Inhibitions help us to resist an impulse or desire for a particular behavior that isn’t appropriate. In disorders such as schizophrenia and attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD) there is an impairment in inhibition. When there is a lack of inhibition, their ability to resist inappropriate or unacceptable behavior decreases. Inhibition is a cognitive ability controlled by our executive functioning. Thus, inhibitory control contributes to managing certain aspects to complete a goal. Executive functioning includes various skills that are important in goal setting, but all skills can be categorized into the three areas of executive function. The three areas are working memory, flexible thinking, and inhibitory control. A model of behavioral self-regulation was proposed in which inhibition was the foundation for the correct functioning of all the other executive functions.
Children with ADHD have a deficit in inhibition. Lack of inhibitory control can be seen in three various levels of a child: motor, attentional, and behavioral. Lack of control in motor behavior can be seen in the hyperactivity of young children. Children with poor control in motor behavior become restless quickly and tend not to sit in one place for a long period of time. ADHA children have issues with paying attention. Their attention span is limited and they are easily distracted by noises. It is also difficult for them to multitask. Lastly, they lack control in their behavior. For example, instead of raising their hand to answer a question, they might just blurt the answer out in class.
The prefrontal cortex area is the part of the brain responsible for executive functions. This area develops throughout adolescence thus it is normal for children to have trouble controlling their behavior. But as one grows up inhibitory control matures and we are able to control our impulses. Inhibition is important because it is what we use to correct our behavior. It allows us to think before we speak. Every thought that runs through our mind is not said out loud and that could be because maybe it’s not appropriate to talk about that specific subject in a certain environment. Inhibition allows us to react to dangerous situations quickly and safely. There are many examples to show how inhibition helps us. For example, if you are studying for an exam that is in four days. Your inhibition allows you to study for long periods of time and prevents you from using your phone to go on social media. People with good inhibition can effectively study without all the distractions and thus can receive a higher grade on their exam. Another example is when you have a pimple. People with strong inhibition will be able to resist touching it or popping it. Same goes for when a mosquito bites you and you have to itch; strong inhibition helps you resist itching because you know if you continue to itch it you will start to bleed. As a child, we are told not to itch the mosquito bites, but as children we get the desire to scratch it because it is itchy, and eventually we start to bleed. As we grow up, our inhibition matures and we learn from previous experiences and are able to correct our behavior and not itch. As you can see inhibitory control is a vital function needed in all aspects of life.
References
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Inhibition (psychology).By: Ungvarsky, Janine, Salem Press Encyclopedia, 2017
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https://www.cognifit.com/science/cognitive-skills/inhibition
