irrational impulse
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Noun: A sudden, powerful, and illogical urge to act, arising spontaneously without conscious reasoning. It is an internal motivation driven by emotion or instinct rather than rational thought.
Usage
An "irrational impulse" describes a compelling, often fleeting, desire to perform an action that seems to lack a sensible basis. It is typically used to explain unplanned or regrettable behavior. * He felt an irrational impulse to shout in the quiet library. * She resisted the irrational impulse to throw her phone against the wall. * Acting on an irrational impulse, he bought the expensive car he couldn't afford.
Advanced Usage
- Psychological Context: In psychology, an irrational impulse may be linked to underlying anxieties, compulsions, or subconscious drives that bypass logical processing.
- The therapy focused on understanding the triggers for his destructive irrational impulses.
- As a Character Trait: Frequently acting on such impulses can be described as "impulsive" behavior.
- Her life was a series of crises stemming from irrational impulses.
Variants and Related Words
- Impulse (n): A sudden strong and unreflective urge or desire to act. (This is the core component; "irrational" intensifies its unreasoning nature).
- Impulsiveness (n): The quality of being acting on impulse.
- Compulsion (n): An irresistible urge to behave in a certain way, often against one's conscious wishes. (This is stronger and can imply a psychological disorder).
Synonyms
- Urge: A strong desire or impulse.
- Whim: A sudden desire or change of mind, especially one that is unusual or unexplained.
- Caprice: A sudden and unaccountable change of mood or behavior.
Antonyms
- Rational decision: A choice made through logical reasoning.
- Premeditation: The action of planning something (especially a crime) beforehand.
Noun
- a strong spontaneous and irrational motivation
- his first impulse was to denounce them
- the urge to find out got him into trouble