urge

An urge is a strong desire or impulse to perform a particular action. It is a transient motivational state that can arise from internal states such as emotions, bodily needs, or cognitive triggers, and may prompt voluntary behavior. Urges differ from needs in that they reflect motivational pull rather than essential requirements, though they can be tied to biological needs like hunger or sex.

Urges can be categorized into physiological urges (hunger, thirst, sleep, sexual arousal) and psychological or behavioral urges (to gamble, to check a phone, to lash out). They can also be described in relation to craving or impulse: cravings are persistent desires often linked to substances or long-term goals; impulses are sudden acts driven by a current urge without much forethought.

Triggers for urges include internal states, external cues, and social contexts. Neurobiological accounts emphasize dopaminergic reward pathways, the insula, and prefrontal networks; urges are processed in limbic systems, with the prefrontal cortex supporting self-control that enables delay or modification of actions.

Adaptive versus maladaptive: urges can guide beneficial actions, such as eating when hungry, but can become maladaptive when leading to harmful behaviors like substance use or compulsive gambling. In clinical contexts, strategies to manage urges include urge surfing (noting and riding an urge as it peaks and fades), mindfulness, cognitive reframing, delaying action, substituting alternative behaviors, and developing coping plans. In addiction treatment, urge management is a core component of relapse prevention.

Related terms include craving, impulse, and compulsion, and urge can be assessed in psychology through self-report scales and observational measures.