proactive

Definition of proactive in English English dictionary: Acting in advance to deal with an expected change or difficulty
We can deal with each problem as it pops up, or we can take a proactive stance and try to prevent future problems.; Acting before a situation becomes a source of confrontation or crisis; / active; Acting in advance to deal with an expected difficulty; anticipatory; (of a policy or person or action) controlling a situation by causing something to happen rather than waiting to respond to it after it happens; descriptive of any event or stimulus or process that has an effect on events or stimuli or processes that occur subsequently; "proactive inhibition"; "proactive interference"; Initiating action A metaprogram distinction; {s} taking preventative measures, taking action in advance; {s} acting in advance; taking precautionary measures; Proactive actions are intended to cause changes, rather than just reacting to change. In order to survive the competition a company should be proactive not reactive. making things happen or change rather than reacting to events; Action before a stimulus (opposite of reactive) A proactive maintenance department acts before a breakdown; The use of knowledge and experience to prevent problems or unwanted situations from reoccurring; Acting in anticipation of future problems, needs, or changes; 1 A step taken before something happens; (of a policy or person or action) controlling a situation by causing something to happen rather than waiting to respond to it after it happens descriptive of any event or stimulus or process that has an effect on events or stimuli or processes that occur subsequently; "proactive inhibition"; "proactive interference; anticipating needs, problems, or changes; (a) making choices out of a clear space; (b) acting rather than reacting; (c) choosing consciously; (d) acting of essence, truth, authenticity
proactive interference: The inability to recall recent experiences as a result of the memory of earlier experiences
proactive interference: Interference in which old items interfere with memory for newer items (See Retroactive Interference)
proactive interference: The phenomenon that learning of earlier material accelerates the forgetting of later material (Anderson)
proactive interference: process where old material already in memory interferes with new info
proactive interference: Interference created by memories from prior learning (p 250)
proactive interference: Material learned prior to the new material interferes with the learning of the new material
proactively: In a proactive manner; so as to look or plan ahead
proactively: in the manner of taking preventative measures, in the manner of acting in advance

proactive

Turkish pronunciation

prōäktîv

Synonyms

anticipatory, forward-looking

Antonyms

reactive

Pronunciation

/ˈprōˈaktəv/ /ˈproʊˈæktɪv/

Etymology

() pro- +‎ active; originally coined 1933 by Paul Whiteley and Gerald Blankfort in a psychology paper, used in technical sense.OEDWhiteley, Paul L.; Blankfort, Gerald (1933), “The Influence of Certain Prior Conditions Upon Learning”, Journal of Experimental Psychology (APA) 16: 843–851 Used in a popular context and sense (courage, perseverance) in 1946 book Man’s Search for Meaning by neuropsychiatrist Viktor Emil Frankl|Viktor Emil Frankl]], in the context of dealing with the Holocaust, as contrast with reactive. Popularized in the US in the 1970s in management and business setting by Alain Paul Martin|Alain Paul Martin]].