Procrastination is the act of postponing action until a later time or date for no particular reason. For the person experiencing procrastination, it can be either functional or dysfunctional depending on the degree of the behavior (quoted in Sweitzer 11). A person who procrastinates needs to realize that they have a problem and find effective ways to overcome procrastination, because it puts their health, family and work at risk. According to Joseph Ferrari, a psychology professor at DePaul University, twenty percent of people realize that they are chronic procrastinators, which is a way of life for them. Some procrastinators are not born but adopt the behavior of their family members (12). There are various reasons why people procrastinate. Some people procrastinate because of fear of failure, poor time management, escaping things that seem difficult or unpleasant, feeling depressed or guilty, and fear of being judged by others. Some believe that procrastination is caused by laziness or lack of discipline, but according to Gard, a writer for Current Health 2, this is not the case, saying that there are perfectionists who often procrastinate. For example, a perfectionist may postpone writing an assignment until the day before it was due and have an excuse if he or she gets a less than perfect grade: “I did it in a hurry” (22). For example, some philosophers and scientists, such as Aristotle and Einstein, "questioned whether time exists even if people are not there to create it", and Einstein "believed that time was a confusion in which the past, the present and the future were mere illusions.” (quoted in deWaal). Some people don't realize they are procrastinators because of certain personality disorders. A personality disorder called passive-aggressive is "chr...... middle of paper ......u.edu>.Moore, DP and JW Jefferson. Textbook of medical psychiatry. 2nd ed.e ed. Philadelphia: Mosby Elsevier, 2004. chap14. University of Tennessee Medical Center for Women's and Children's Health. Internet. December 5, 2009. “Procrastination – Time management training”. Procrastination of mental tools. Np, 2009. Web.December 6, 2009. .Sweitzer, Nancy G. “Overcoming Academic Procrastination in Higher Education.” Dissertation/Theses-Master Theses. Np: 1999. 11., State University. Eric. Internet. December 6, 2009. .deWaal, Mandy. “Procrastinating: Why You Do It and What to Do Now.” ITWeb, July 10, 2009. Web. December 6. 2009. .