Question of the week 23: Sporadic

Hi and welcome to this week’s question of the week! For this week’s entry, the word ‘sporadic’ will be covered in the following question:

Can stress trigger sporadic behavior?

The term sporadic stands for a behavior or instance that occurs occasionally, irregularly, or randomly. For example, stock prices show a sporadic trend since it is dependent on positive or negative news. Another example is when software does not follow your inputs, thus showing sporadic behavior due to an error or bug.

Sporadic behavior can also be found in people. It is characterized by certain actions that a person would normally not do, i.e. scream in the library. When a person behaves sporadically, it may be due to the environment. A painting may have triggered a memory that makes a person scared in the library, or a library scene in a scary movie. Sporadic behavior, however, can also be triggered by stress.

When a person endures a heavy workload, that person’s mind gets overloaded with specific tasks. This means that it will be more difficult to multi-task than when relaxed. For example, when somebody asks for a favor whilst you are under stress, your response tends to be more abrupt, aggressive, and random. This is makes it more likely to vent off frustration on somebody else who may not know your circumstances. As such, in that person’s perspective, your behavior becomes sporadic. Another example is when you are driving whilst in traffic, and your passenger tries to help you by telling you where to go. You get annoyed and shrug off the suggestion. Your response may seem to him or her as an aggressive and sporadic one, although to you it is justified since you were preoccupied, stressed, and wanted some peace to focus on the traffic ahead. Thus, based on these examples, stress can trigger sporadic behavior.

In short: Sporadic stands for a behavior or instance that is irregular, out of the norm, random, or occasional. Examples include sporadic trends of stock prices, sporadic behavior of software, and sporadic behavior of people due to stress from work or traffic, or from a memory that is triggered by the environment a person is in.

If you have any questions, wish to share an example, or have any doubts, then please do not hesitate to leave a comment!