Personality
Eysenck
- Proposed some people were more vulnerable to addiction due to their personality
- Argued that people seek out addiction as a way of meeting a need that is driven by their
personality
Extraversion and addiction
Francis (1996)
- Reviewed findings of previous research:
- 10 found a negative relationship
- 2 found a positive relationship
- 12 found no significant relationship
- unlikely that extraversion has an influence on addiction
Psychoticism and impulsivity
- Impulsivity is the tendency to act on a whim
- Can argue that high levels of impulsivity may lead people to engage in behaviours that
have negative consequences
de Wit (2009)
- Reviewed studies and found that impulsiveness was both a cause and effect of drug
abuse
Dalley et al (2007)
- Found that impulsive rats increased cocaine intake more than low impulsive rats
Stevens et al (2014)
- Found that impulsive individuals were less successful in treatment programmes as they
were more likely to drop out
Neuroticism and self-medication
- Eysenck argued that these people would be more prone to addiction as a coping skill
Sinha (2001)
- Highlighted the role that stress plays in the initiation of an addiction
- If an individual is more susceptible to stress, they may feel they need the addiction to
overcome it
Baumeister (1997)
- Suggests low self-esteem may lead people to act in a manner that is self-defeating to
escape self-awareness
- Means that they are using the addiction as a way of avoiding their negative feelings
about themselves
Eysenck
- Proposed some people were more vulnerable to addiction due to their personality
- Argued that people seek out addiction as a way of meeting a need that is driven by their
personality
Extraversion and addiction
Francis (1996)
- Reviewed findings of previous research:
- 10 found a negative relationship
- 2 found a positive relationship
- 12 found no significant relationship
- unlikely that extraversion has an influence on addiction
Psychoticism and impulsivity
- Impulsivity is the tendency to act on a whim
- Can argue that high levels of impulsivity may lead people to engage in behaviours that
have negative consequences
de Wit (2009)
- Reviewed studies and found that impulsiveness was both a cause and effect of drug
abuse
Dalley et al (2007)
- Found that impulsive rats increased cocaine intake more than low impulsive rats
Stevens et al (2014)
- Found that impulsive individuals were less successful in treatment programmes as they
were more likely to drop out
Neuroticism and self-medication
- Eysenck argued that these people would be more prone to addiction as a coping skill
Sinha (2001)
- Highlighted the role that stress plays in the initiation of an addiction
- If an individual is more susceptible to stress, they may feel they need the addiction to
overcome it
Baumeister (1997)
- Suggests low self-esteem may lead people to act in a manner that is self-defeating to
escape self-awareness
- Means that they are using the addiction as a way of avoiding their negative feelings
about themselves
