Vulnerability ARE THERE ADDICTIVE PERSONALITIES The addictive personality
Vulnerability ARE THERE ADDICTIVE PERSONALITIES?
The addictive personality �There is a popular belief that some people have addictive personalities. �They are more likely to become addicted. �If they don’t become addicted to one thing they will become addicted to something else �The aim of this lesson is to investigate the validity these beliefs.
Switching Addictions �Addictive personality types often go from one addiction to another �Addictive personality causes many individuals with addictions to drugs/alcohol to turn to other forms of addiction after successfully recovering from the addiction �Common post-recovery addictions include gambling, sex, food, and work!
Current Research �Indicates that gamblers and alcoholics do have distinct traits that affect their cravings. �Not all individuals with similar personalities will develop certain addictions but they may be more vulnerable. �Individuals with personality disorders are more likely to abuse substances that those without personality disorder �Most often personality disorder precedes substance abuse
Addictive personality SO IF IT EXISTS – WHAT ARE WE LOOKING FOR?
Traits which correlate with addictive personality �Lack of self-esteem �Social Alienation �Depression and anxiety �Impulsive behavior 50 percent of alcoholic patients have psychiatric disorders that include pathological impulsivity �Problems delaying gratification �Antisocial traits
Neurobehavioural dysregulation �Tartar Et. Al (2003) identified patterns of behaviour they called neurobehavioral dysregulation. This predicted high risk of drug abuse in teenagers. Tests for this included a combination of: � Difficult Temperament (inflexibility and high distractibility) � Conduct disorder � Oppositional defiant disorder � Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) � Depression � Disruptive Behavior Disorders Rating Scale (by teacher) � A battery of tests measuring executive cognitive function.
Tartar Et Al. 2003 �So those at risk of drug abuse show signs of disorganised behaviour. �This may be related to abnormalities in the frontal cortex of the brain – which cause poor decision making.
The strange case of Phineas Gage � Phineas Gage was a 25 year old foreman of a blasting crew building a railroad in the USA. � His work involved using an iron rod to tamp gunpowder and sand into a hole in the rock. � On September 13, 1848 something went wrong. � The rod striking the stone caused a spark and the resulting explosion sent the rod flying up through his left cheek and out the top of his head. � To the amazement of everyone he was not killed and lived for more than eleven years.
Phineas Gage � Following his injury Gage became unreliable in his work, showed a callous disregard for his loved ones, started visiting prostitutes and drinking heavily, swearing excessively, showed hypersexuality, poor social interaction, poor empathising ability, and failed to learn from his mistakes. � But, remarkably, had otherwise preserved intellectual function including working memory and planning (i. e. did not become mentally retarded). � This frontal region is now known to be involved in conscious decision making.
Exam Tip Dont waste time by telling the life story of Phineas Gage – this isn’t a history lesson ! Just say that the case of Phineas Gage demonstrates the effect of damage to the frontal cortex. Full stop !
The Frontal Cortex �Phineas Gage is a dramatic example, but what value does this really have for psychologists ? �It demonstrates that certain aspects of our personality are controlled by the frontal cortex. �Apart from Phineas Gage we can see how this area helps control our behaviour by studying alcoholics – alcohol depresses that area of the brain. �What if some people are simply lacking in that area ?
The Iowa Gambling Task �Simply a game with four decks of cards �On a good deck people usually make a small win, sometimes a small loss, but overall a profit. �On the bad decks people can sometimes make big wins but overall they lose more. �So, you would expect that smart people would learn to stick to the decks where they made a steady profit and avoid the bad decks.
Decision making and the frontal cortex (Bechara et al. 2000) �From the graph we can see that some people stopped taking cards form the bad packs – but others just kept taking more and more.
Who were these people with poor decision making skills ? 1. Adolescents 2. Conduct disorder 3. ADHD 4. Schizophrenia 5. Drug users of all classes 6. Those with Frontal lesions (Brain damage)
� Some people may have inherited these problems but addictive substances can also cause them and the effect is greatest in adolescence
What do we learn from these statistics ? �Table shows how likely a person is to indulge in their addictive behaviour when they are in a positive mood, a negative mood or when under control of others.
Did you decide. . �Each addiction responds in a very similiar way to emotional moods, suggesting that addiction, and in particular relapse, could be due to emotional factors in the subject
What do we learn from these statistics ? � Table based on work with 696 subjects to show levels of alcohol consumed by gamblers and non-gamblers William Disch, & Seth Noar, University of Rhode Island
Did you decide. . �Men drink and gamble more than women �Men who drink more also gamble more �The co-morbidity of alcoholism and problem gambling is far more pronounced among men than women. �This suggests that whatever causes addictive behaviour has a gender based component.
What do we learn from these statistics ? � Table shows the correlations between problem gambling (PG) and personality disorders & substance abuse. � There are many conclusions you could draw � Which are the most significant � What overall explanation is suggested here ?
Did you decide. . �Strong correlation with emotional disorders �Strong correlation with substance abuse �But strongest predictor is impulsive behaviour �Impulsive behaviour comes first and may be the cause of all the others
General observations �People with addiction problems also are likely to qualify for other psychiatric disorders. �Problem gambling most likely to manifest when the subject is in a negative mood – depressed, anxious etc. �Drug, alcohol, and gambling addictions have similar personality cues and factors. �There appear to be some differences between genders. �Men more likely to gamble and drinking correlates more strongly with gambling in men than in women. � Impulsive behaviour plays an important role.
What is. Sensation Seeking? Seeking Behaviour �Marvin Zuckerman studied sensation seeking behaviour �This type of behaviour had a hereditary basis �It appears to be connected to various genes which in turn relate to dopamine activity �It is highest in young males �Four aspects could be measured with scales � Thrill & Adventure Seeking � Experience Seeking � Dis-inhibition � Boredom Susceptibility.
Cortisol inhibits impulsive behaviour �Cortisol may be important in regulating emotions and aggressive impulses, and modulating some forms of learning and memory �So, low levels of Cortisol may lead towards behaviour which appears careless or aggressive. � �“Vulnerability factors predispose towards drug addiction, pathological gambling, and obesity (all previously considered simply bad ‘choices’)” �Dr Graeme Fairchild: Developmental Psychiatry Section, Cambridge University
These issues are all connected �Risk taking, leading to addiction, is linked to neurobehavioral dysregulation. (Tarter 2003) �This is a range of problem behaviours involving poor concentration, poor behaviour and bad decision making. �It seems to be connected to irregularities in the frontal cortex of the brain (Bechara 2000) �It can be caused, or increased, by taking drugs �Risk taking is highest in adolescents (Deakin et al. 2004) �The effect on the frontal cortex is greatest at that age.
Issues of cause and effect � Risky decision making was seen in the high risk children before the onset of drug use, and this trait predicted the onset and magnitude of drug use, demonstrating that risky decision making is a vulnerability factor for becoming a drug user. � However, the consumption of drugs of abuse causes damage to the frontal cortex and produces deficits in decision making, suggesting a vicious circle, where an existing frontal deficit is exacerbated by drug use. Frontal abnormality Risky decision making Drug use/abuse
There appears to be links between gambling and other problem issues. �Zuckerman sees gambling as part of sensation seeking behaviour, along with impulsive, unpredictable, disorderly behaviour. �Carlton and Mancowicz (1994) found links between gambling and ADHD �Krueger, Schedlowski and Meyer (2005) found links between impulsive personalities and gambling. �The key to all of this may lie in the production of neurotransmitters.
- Slides: 28