Psychology Addictive When a tendency to overindulge becomes an , there can be many factors at play. One thing we can’t blame (however tempting) is our personality, says behavioural addiction expert Dr Mark Griffiths

HRISTMAS IS TYPICALLY A TIME that the causes of addiction are FOR EXCESS. Excessive eating. what we psychologists call CExcessive drinking. Excessive ‘biopsychosocial’ (biology plus smoking. But it doesn’t stop there. psychology plus social influences). In Individuals often say they’re ‘addicted’ addition, situational determinants (eg, as an excuse for overindulging in all accessibility to the drug/behaviour, sorts of things. Why does it happen? In advertising and marketing) and the 30 years I’ve been carrying out structural determinants (eg, toxicity of a research into addiction, the question specific drug, game speed in gambling) I’ve been asked the most is whether can also be influential in how and why there really is such a thing as an people develop problematic and ‘addictive personality’. addictive behaviours. Another problem with using this It would be a neat answer label as an explanation for why It’s tempting to believe in the concept of ❛Addiction can be the individuals develop is addictive personality when you consider result of emotional that by doing so we absolve an that some people are addicted to more individual’s responsibility of developing than one substance or activity at a time or social reasons ❜ an addiction and put the onus on (known as ‘cross addiction’). Also, on others in treating it. Ultimately, giving up one addiction, some people correlated with high levels of neuroticism all addicts have to take some become addicted to another (known as (having high mental instability such as responsibility in the development of ‘reciprocity’). But in all the scientific and high ) and low their problematic behaviour and they studies I’ve ever read, I’ve never come levels of conscientiousness (being have to take some ownership for across a good definition. Some disorderly, uncareful, and not very well overcoming their addiction. psychologists have argued it’s a organised). However, I’ve come across consequence of addiction, rather than a people who are highly neurotic and One thing doesn’t lead pre-existing trait, but that doesn’t help unconscientious without being addicted to another… our understanding of how and why to anything. Therefore, while these The scientific evidence shows that not individuals become addicted. personality traits are associated with every addict has a , If addictive personality does exist, the addiction, they don’t predict it. and not every person with a personality trait must precede the initial signs of disorder has an addiction. Many people addiction or be a direct and lasting The many faces of addiction use the term ‘addiction’ to justify feature of the addiction. Most importantly, Scientific research has also shown that behaviours such as drinking too much it has to be discriminative (that is, it within most addictions there appear to or being sexually unfaithful. This is what has to be predictive of addiction and be more than one sub-type of addict. psychologists call a ‘functional addiction alone). No scientific study has For instance, some have genetic attribution’ (simply an excuse to justify ever demonstrated this. and biological reasons that underpin socially unacceptable behaviour). their addiction; some may have There’s no personality trait that Association, not prediction psychological or emotional problems; guarantees an individual will develop an I have argued therefore that addictive and others may have an addiction addiction and, in my view, addictive personality simply doesn’t exist. This because of more social reasons (such as personality is a complete myth. doesn’t mean that personality factors wanting to engage in activities their aren’t important in how and why some family or friends engage in). If this is the l Dr Mark Griffiths is professor people develop addictions. They clearly case – and I believe it is – this is a problem of behavioural addiction at the are. For instance, studies examining for the idea of ‘addictive personality’, International Gaming Research personality and addiction consistently which is a one-size-fits-all approach. Unit, Psychology Department,

PHOTOS: GETTY IMAGES GETTY PHOTOS: report that addictive behaviours are There’s now a lot of scientific evidence Nottingham Trent University.

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