The ability to forgo an immediate pleasure or reward in order to gain a more substantial one later.
Almost everyone, everyday, practices delay of gratificationhether deciding to skip dessert in order to lose weight or give up smoking in order to live longer. The ability to delay gratification is often a sign of emotional and social maturity. Young children, for example, find it more difficult to delay gratification than older children. When kindergartners in one study were offered a choice between getting a...
Source: Encyclopedia of Psychology, ©2005 Gale Cengage. All Rights Reserved. Full copyright.
(The entire page is 215 words.)
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