Addictive Behaviours - Individual Differences Explanations: Personality Flashcards
What are the 4 components to the personalities explanation
- Eysenck’s Theory of personality
- linking these traits to addiction
- Psychoticism and impulsivity
- Neuroticism and self medication
Describe ‘Eysenck’s theory of personality’
- Personality traits are stable across different situations and over time, though they vary among individuals.
- These differences arise from biological factors from the inherited characteristics of the nervous system
- Extraverts are sociable and impulsive, seeking stimulation due to their under-aroused nervous system.
- Introverts, are reserved and avoid excessive stimulation because they are already over-aroused.
- Neuroticism relates to the sympathetic nervous system; stable individuals remain calm under stress, while those high in neuroticism are more reactive and emotional.
- psychoticism is characterised by a lack of empathy and a desire for immediate gratification, linked to higher testosterone levels.
Describe ‘Linking these traits to addiction’
- Eysenck (1997) suggested a model of addiction, whereby the addiction develops because it fulfils a need relating to the individual’s personality profile. He highest an important role for the dimensions of psychoticism and neuroticism.
- A number of research studies have tested the personality of addicts and looked for common patterns in their scores on the EPQ (Eysenck Personality Questionnaire - a measure of the three dimensions).
- These studies compare addicts with a control group on the three dimensions and also compare the two groups on their lie score (a measure of social conformity).
- For example, Michael Gossop and Hans Eysenck (1980) researched over 200 drug addicts, and found that addicts had high P and N scores but lower Etraverion and Lie scale scores than the control group.
Describe ‘psychoticism and impulsivity’
- One trait associated with those high in psychoticism is impulsivity.
- Often addicts act impulsively without thinking through the consequences; for example, they feel as if smoking won’t affect them now, so it will do them no harm to indulge.
-A review of studies found that impulsiveness was both a cause and an effect of drug abuse (de Wit, 2009) and other research has found that impulsive rats increased cocaine intake more than low impulsivity rats (Dalley et al., 2007). - Impulsivity will also cause problems when the individual is trying to abstain from their addiction. Laura Stevens et al. 2014) found that impulsive individuals were less successful in treatment programmes as they were more likely to drop out and less likely to achieve and maintain abstinence.
Describe ‘Neuroticism and self-medication’
- It may be that neurotic individuals are using the addiction as a means of self-medication to deal with the stress and worry they are experiencing (i.e. the addiction is a way of treating’ these problems).
- Rajita Sinha (2001) reviewed research into this area and highlighted the role that stress plays in the initiation of an addiction, but also in the risk of relapse when an individual is trying to abstain. If an individual is more susceptible to stress they may feel they need the addictive behaviour to overcome it (i.e. treat it)
- Another characteristic of neurotic individuals is low self-esteem. Roy Baumeister (1997) suggests that low self-esteem may lead people to act in a manner that is self- defeating (which would include addictive behaviou) in order to escape self-awareness. This means that they are using the addiction as a way of avoiding their negative feelings about themselves.
Evaluate the personality explanation for having no cause and effect
P: One weakness is that although evidence shows a relationship between certain personality types and addictive behaviours, we cannot establish a C+E effect, because e researchers can’t manipulate the IV or control extraneous variables. Perhaps addictive behaviours cause the personality instead, or maybe there’s a 3rd factor
E: Cuomo’s et al research interviewing prisoners found that those with substance abuse problems had higher levels of impulsivity and psychoticism. However, Cuomo can’t be sure if the psychoticism and impulsivity caused the addiction as he is assessing them at the same time and not controlling other variables. Maybe addiction arises as a way of dealing with childhood trauma (since it was also found these prisoners with substance abuse problems also had higher incidences of childhood trauma).
T: Therefore correlational supporting research like this clouds the issue of C+E which reduces the validity of personality as an explanation of addictive behaviour.
C: However, some research has been done to establish stronger C+E relationships by using prospective methods, such as Dong et al. This allows them to find that the participants who went on to develop internet addictions started with high levels of Neuroticism and psychoticism beforehand, therefore offering further valid support to the personality explanation
Evaluate the personality explanation for being reductionist
P: One weakness of this explanation is that it focuses solely on personality and ignores other important factors, such as the addictive behaviour itself
E: For example, McNamara et al (2010) found that rat impulsivity did lead to a higher likelihood of the rats self-administering cocaine however it didn’t relate to the self-administering of heroin. This suggests that perhaps we are overlooking the role of the type of specific addiction itself, and that perhaps specific substances will lead to variance in addiction.
T: therefore the personalities explanation is an incomplete explanation and therefore has a low reliability and validity, because it is too oversimplified and doesn’t take into account enough factors
C: This is further illustrated by Rozin and Stoess (1993) which looked at at individual’s tendencies to become addicted to a range of different activities and couldn’t find a common pattern. Showing further proof in behavioural addictions that the type of personality involved might depend on the specific addictive behaviour being investigated.
Evaluate the personality explanation for having low validity
P: One weakness is that Eyseneck’s theory of personality may be invalid. He argues that personality is fixed and stable, that our traits remain consistent across situations and time. However, this may not necessarily be true
E: Sayed et al. (2015), who found that traumatic events, such as combat exposure in military personnel, can significantly alter personality traits. Veterans who experienced trauma showed increases in neuroticism and decreases in agreeableness and conscientiousness. These personality changes are linked to higher vulnerability to substance use disorders, suggesting that personality is not fixed but can be reshaped by life experiences, further challenging Eysenck’s claim of stability and its relation to addiction.
T: This therefore shows that Eyseneck’s theories about personality has low validity and reliability
C: However, it does provide a clear and focused explanation of addiction risk by isolating key personality traits like neuroticism and extraversion which can then be targeted for intervention. Therefore making a complex behaviour like addiction easier to treat and predict behaviour.
Evaluate the personality explanation for being deterministic
P: One strength of Eysenck’s deterministic approach is that by identifying key personality traits like neuroticism and extraversion, individuals with a predisposition to addiction can be more easily identified and encouraged to seek help early.
E: For example, people who exhibit high levels of neuroticism may be more aware of their emotional instability, which could motivate them to seek treatment. Research by Terracciano et al. (2008) found that individuals with higher neuroticism tend to seek psychological help more often due to their sensitivity to stress and anxiety.
T: This makes Eysenck’s theory practically useful, as pinpointing these traits allows for early intervention strategies, potentially increasing the likelihood that addicts will seek help before their addiction becomes severe.
C: However, the deterministic nature of the theory might backfire, as labelling individuals based on personality traits could discourage them from seeking help. If addicts believe their behaviour is determined solely by fixed personality traits, they may feel powerless to change, potentially reducing their motivation to pursue treatment.
Evaluate the personality explanation for having poor useful application
P: It has limited practical application, as Eysenck’s theory posits that personality is largely stable and unchangeable, which limits the potential for developing treatments or interventions based on personality traits
E: Costa and McCrae (1994) found that personality traits remain relatively consistent over time, even with therapeutic intervention, meaning that any treatment aimed at altering these traits to prevent addiction would be largely ineffective. Also, encouraging someone to change their inherent personality is not only impractical but also ethically questionable, as it implies a need to fundamentally alter who they are.
T: Therefore, this makes the theory less useful in addressing addiction
C: However, if we know an individual is neurotic, we can give them coping strategies for their low self-esteem and anxiety
