Disadvantages of a reactive attitude

The way we face difficulties and how we handle our emotions defines a lot about the type of person we are. In general, we usually speak of proactive and reactive attitudes. People who are proactive are more efficient in solving problems and tend to face difficulties strategically, they do not stop in the face of adversity and do not allow their mood to decline in the face of difficulties.

The reactive attitude is the complete opposite of the proactive one. People with a reactive attitude are not able to adapt to changes very easily, they tend to judge others by their own problems and have an unstable state of mind that does not allow them to be consistent with their actions.

During the development of this guide we will be addressing some of the most significant disadvantages of maintaining a reactive attitude in the face of the complex circumstances we must face.

Problems in managing emotions

People who have a reactive attitude tend not to effectively control their emotions in times of difficulty. This makes it more difficult to develop strategies quickly without our emotions clouding our thinking. The problems in managing emotions stem from the irrational side of our brain, which causes a series of biases that do not allow us to discern clearly between what is truly important and what is not.

The reactive attitude is conditioned by a series of conformist, negative and defeatist thoughts, which stop our impulses to act under the belief that things will be solved without us having to do anything about it. That said, the reactive person sits back and waits for problems to go away, not getting involved in their solution or taking action to prevent further damage.

Inconsistencies in decision making

Another of the most significant disadvantages present in the reactive attitude is inconsistency and incoherence in decision making. Because reactive people do not usually act under planned strategies, but are motivated by their feelings at the moment, it is common to see how this type of person fails to concretize their actions or maintain a coherent line of action.

People with a reactive attitude change their mind very easily, they do not take the time to check if an idea is good or bad, depending on their mood they may be more or less willing to act. This series of elements does not help us to formulate serious responses to difficulties, since the constant instability in the thinking of these people makes it impossible to measure the results in the long term.

High influence of the surrounding environment

A third disadvantage present in people with a reactive attitude is that they are highly influenced by the environment around them. The lack of their own judgment and individual view of problems leads them to make decisions based on the perspective of outsiders. The reactive attitude leads to not wanting to think about solutions, so the easiest way is to be guided by what other people want and not by what we want.

The reactive attitude leads to the fact that we are changing our decisions easily, all depending on who we talk to or what recommendation is made to us at the moment. We do not take the time to stop and analyze where the proposals that come to us come from, any solution seems valid as long as we do not have to get actively involved in it.