Addiction- ID Eysenck's personality thesis

Question 1

Who is Eysenck and what does he believe?

Answer 1

Psychologist who believed in different personality types
There are 3 dimensions related to personality upon measures

Question 2

What are the 3 personality dimensions?

Answer 2

Extroversion (lively, sociable and optimistic)
Neuroticism (high anxiety, moody and irritable)
Psychoticism (impulsive, impatient and aggressive

Question 3

Eysenck and addiction?

Answer 3

People were more vulnerable to addiction due to personality, argued people seek out addiction as a way of meeting a need driven by personality

Question 4

Which 2 personality types are most likely to have addictions?

Answer 4

Psychoticism
Neuroticism

Question 5

Francis- what did he find about the correlation of addiction and extraversion/introversion?

Answer 5

10 studies found neg correlation
2 positive
12 not significant
Thus meaning little evidence suggesting link between addiction and E+I is weak

Question 6

Link between psychoticism and self control?

Answer 6

As Ps have high impulsivity they are tend to act on whims with no consideration of consequence
Meaning high levels of impulsivity lead to people engaging in behaviour or substance with negative consequences as they fail to account for them

Question 7

Psychoticism- de wit addiction?

Answer 7

Impulsiveness a cause and effect of drug abuse
Feel that smoking wont affect them so don’t harm to indulge

Question 8

Psychoticism- Dalley et al?

Answer 8

Impulsive rats increased cocaine intake more than low impulsivity rates

Question 9

Psychoticism- steven et al?

Answer 9

Impulsive individuals less successful in treatment programmes as more likely to drop out and less likely to achieve and maintain abstinence

Question 10

Neuroticism and stability link to addiction?

Answer 10

People high in neuroticism tend to be anxious, tense, moody and prone to depression
So use addiction to self medicate to deal with stress

Question 11

Neuroticism and stability- Sinha?

Answer 11

Looked at research in area highlighting role that stress plays on the interaction of addiction, but in risk of relapse when individual tries to abstain if individual more susceptible to stress full they need addictive behaviour to overcome

Question 12

Neuroticism and stability - Baumeister?

Answer 12

Low self esteem may lead people to act in manners that’s self defeating to escape self awareness
Meaning using addiction to avoid neg feelings

Question 13

Neuroticism and stability- Mehroof and Griffiths?

Answer 13

Associated with gaming addiction
Online addiction used like substances to escape from problems

Question 14

Neuroticism and stability- Francis?

Answer 14

Addicts scored higher in neurotics and psychoticism that non addict controls when investigating addition in nicotine, alcohol and BZ

Question 15

Neuroticism and stability- Sahasi et al?

Answer 15

High levels of P and N in sample on Indian heroin addicts compared to controls

Question 16

Evaluation- cause and effect?

Answer 16

All the research relies on people that are addicts can’t established weather the personality types caused the addiction effected personality

Question 17

Evaluation- Cucomo et al?

Answer 17

Conducted a semi skilled interview investigating psychological features of sample prisoners with and without substances and abuse problem
Found prisoners with SA had higher psychoticism and high impulses than prisoners wo SA
More likely to have multiple incarcerations, juvenile detentions, violence and suicide attempts
Higher level of impulsivity
Also more likely to be affected by childhood abuse causing neuroticism
So is it cause and effect or due to environmental factors

Question 18

Evaluation- cause and effect Dong et al?

Answer 18

A prospective study had addicts before they where addicts carried out a study on chinease uni students
The students we’ve given the EPQ just after entering uni and two years later their addiction to the internet was assesed
Reaserch found higher N and P scores were linked to addiction and the prospective design suggests its cause rather than effect

Question 19

Evaluation- metholodigcal?

Answer 19

Both self reportmethods so social desirability bais
Could be bias but included lie scales effecting validty
-Adicts more likely to lie to cober up addiction going to extreme lenbth
When supporting reaserch isflawed we must be critical of support for theory as less credible

Question 20

Evaluation- Role of addiction Ruth McNamara?

Answer 20

Rats found that animals more likely to self administer cocaine but not heroin

Question 21

Evaluation- Role of addiction Rozin and caryn stoess?

Answer 21

Looked at individuals tendancys to become addicted to a range of different activitys and coild not find a comon pattern

Question 22

Evaluation- Role of addiction counter argument?

Answer 22

Using rats is unethical in a study

Question 23

Evaluation- The myth of addictve personality John Kerr?

Answer 23

Idea of addiction personality as one of the myths of addiction and suggests there are so many traits listed that wouldnt be appropriet to refer to an addictive personality as id it were simple of traits that makes some prone to addiction

Question 24

Evaluation- the link to biological addiction?

Answer 24

Using personality of an explanation for addiction drug not be sufficent of many of the persoanlity characteristics we have seen linked to addiction show a clear relationshp to dopamine functions

Question 25

Evaluation- ethical determanism?

Answer 25

addiction is not in addicts control its fault of personality
No free will issue for accountability of behaviour
-But removes free will addicts may loose all hope and feel powerless

Question 26

Evaluation- ethical could be positive?

Answer 26

Addiction seen as a disorder and treated rathar then punsihed

Question 27

Evaluation- ethical implications for treaten?

Answer 27

Personality cant be easily modified in therapy
However aknowledgment of the role of personality may give scope for intervention to be put in place for both in the treatment and prevention of addiction