Risk factors - personality Flashcards
Research has shown that personality characteristics do appear to play an important role in predicting patterns of substance abuse and the development of addiction.
Krueger et al. (1998) identified a number of personality traits e.g. sensation seeking and impulsivity, that are commonly associated with addiction.
Impulsivity: behaving without thinking and without considering the risk involved in the behaviour.
Sensation seeking: the generalised tendency to seek varied, novel, complex, and intense sensations and experiences and the willingness to take risks for the sake of such experiences. Individuals are often easily bored.
Research Support
Zuckerman (1983): conducted research that demonstrated a link between the need for novelty and addictive behaviours.
Zuckerman claimed that high sensation seekers have a lower appreciation of risk, and anticipate arousal as more positive than lower sensation seekers.
He found a relationship between sensation-seeking and gambling as gamblers entertain the risk of monetary loss for the positive reinforcement produced by high arousal and winning.
Eysenck (1997) proposed that addictions occur because of personality type and the needs of the personality. He argued that those with high levels of neuroticism and psychoticism were predisposed to addictions.
Neuroticism: characterised by high levels of anxiety and irritability.
These individuals seek relief from behaviours and drugs that they perceive as reducing their anxiety.
Psychoticism: characterised by aggressiveness and emotional detachment.
The high associated with drugs or certain behaviours helps to escape these negative emotional states
Eysenck also argued that there is a biological basis to personality and therefore the personality was inherited.
Research support: There is evidence to suggest that certain personality traits are implicated in the development of addiction.
Research has shown that personality is a key predictor in the initiation of substance use, the development of substance abuse and the maintenance of substance dependence.
Wan-Sen Yan et al. (2013):
demonstrated a relationship between personality characteristics and addiction.
They found evidence to suggest that high levels of neuroticism and high levels of psychoticism were linked to Internet addiction, thus supporting Eysenck’s ideas.
Evaluating Personality as a Risk Factor in the Development of Addiction
However, having certain traits does not automatically mean that addiction will occur; it is merely a predisposition. There are many other factors involved in the development of addiction.
Cause and effect is difficult to establish: it is not always clear whether the addiction has altered the personality or vice versa.
