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Addiction personality traits


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  • SAMHSA’s National Helpline is a free, confidential, 24/7, 365-day-a-year treatment referral and information service (in English and Spanish) for individuals and families facing mental and/or substance use disorders.

    Also visit the online treatment locator.

SAMHSA’s National Helpline, 1-800-662-HELP (4357) (also known as the Treatment Referral Routing Service), or TTY: 1-800-487-4889 is a confidential, free, 24-hour-a-day, 365-day-a-year, information service, in English and Spanish, for individuals and family members facing mental and/or substance use disorders. This service provides referrals to local treatment facilities, support groups, and community-based organizations.

Also visit the online treatment locator, or send your zip code via text message: 435748 (HELP4U) to find help near you. Read more about the HELP4U text messaging service.

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Last Updated: 08/30/2022

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characteristics, main features and specific features

Dependent people are characterized by destructive behavior. We are talking about a change in the psyche with the manifestation of strong emotions as a result of avoiding reality. A person does not see any changes in himself and believes that he lives an ordinary, normal life. In fact, the object of dependence controls him, and the person himself is helpless in front of his pernicious passion.

The concept of addiction

Addiction (dependence) is translated from English as "addiction" or "addiction". Dependence is chemical when a person gets used to alcohol, tobacco, drugs. No less difficult is getting used to the Internet, games, excessive work overload (all types of activity). A bad sign will be an addiction to food, a love of shopping, an immense waste of money. Sometimes there are people who are dependent on their partners or relatives, which also does not bode well.

Tempting factors of attraction

People do not immediately get used to addictions, because each form of behavior has a certain source from which it all began. Provoking factors that push people to addiction are:

  • Mentality. In our country, people with addictions are treated with condescension, they are forgiven a lot, they consider behavior from the point of view of humor or touching condescension.
  • Lack of spirituality. It gives rise to permissiveness, people tend to take everything from life, and this is immoral.
  • Stress, despair, hopelessness.
  • Wrong building of relationships in the family.
  • Negative character traits.

Characteristic features of people with addictions

The behavior of an addicted person is fundamentally different from the behavior of a healthy person. This can be seen even in the early stages and prevent the progression of this serious illness. It is necessary to take a closer look at your loved ones, as well as objectively analyze your habits.

Maybe it's still not up and running. Special signs look like this:

  • a person is constantly attracted to the object of addiction;
  • a person is in a state of nervous excitement until he is near an object, does something he loves, or uses it;
  • after the use of harmful substances (communication with a partner, casino, computer), a person experiences satisfaction or relaxation;
  • after using the object, after a while a person has a desire to repeat the process again.

Biological factors

Addiction can be triggered by biological factors. This is one of the most difficult conditions, when little depends on the person. These include:

  • genetic predisposition;
  • heredity, which is aggravated by narcological diseases;
  • chronic severe diseases;
  • brain lesions.

Psychological factors

The psychological characteristics of an addicted person include:

  • lack of self-control;
  • violation of self-regulation;
  • low self-esteem;
  • lack of self-esteem;
  • lack of motivation;
  • disturbance of the emotional sphere;
  • inability and unwillingness to take care of oneself;
  • lack of will power;
  • lack of compassion and empathy;
  • aggressiveness and authoritarianism;
  • inadequate response to social support;
  • absence or impairment of constructive communication.

Social factors

Many people wonder what they are, dependent people, and do not understand that a huge number of such individuals surround us in society. The difference between them is only in the form or degree of dependence. If this degree is low and cannot harm health, such an addiction is considered quite acceptable (for example, a person likes to watch TV or gives all his time to work). But the main serious social factors are the following:

  • demographic aspects in terms of sex and age;
  • unhealthy atmosphere in the family;
  • insufficient control and prevention of addictions;
  • deterioration of the economic situation in the country;
  • decline in general spirituality;
  • availability of harmful substances;
  • fashion and tradition in various activities that allow dependence;
  • imperfection of the legislation.

Behavior

Very often, in the process of communication, defects in the character of chemically dependent people are traced. These qualities can greatly aggravate the course of the disease and lead to serious consequences. Pay close attention to those at risk. These people can be recognized by their behavior:

  • they turn a blind eye to obvious problems, pretending that they do not exist;
  • do not openly express their thoughts and feelings;
  • resort to manipulation to satisfy their needs;
  • express their thoughts in allegories to avoid direct statements;
  • make unrealistic plans and blame other people for their failure;
  • find enemies everywhere and suspect ill-wishers;
  • do not remind about their problems, pretending that they no longer exist.

Chemical dependence is one of the most difficult, so it is difficult to determine in the early stages. People try to hide their vulnerability through defensive tactics such as denial, avoidance, isolation from reality, self-importance and self-sufficiency, and aggression or bravado. It is denial that is considered the most dangerous, since in this case a person is not aware of the presence of a problem.

Lack of stress tolerance

Low stress tolerance often causes addiction. Life cannot be always calm and measured, it presents its own surprises, which are not always pleasant. People with a lack of stress resistance cannot adequately survive discomfort. Instead of taking constructive steps to improve the situation, they try to hide behind illusions of stability. They find solace in drugs, alcohol or slot machines. They do it on purpose so as not to face the truth.

To prevent this from happening, it is necessary to teach children from birth to independence and avoid excessive guardianship over them. Growing up, such a person becomes helpless. In order to prevent addiction in an adult, it is necessary to help your relatives and friends who find themselves in a difficult situation. Surrounding them with care and warmth, you can avoid further addiction on their part.

Deceitfulness

Dependent people always lie. They can never be relied upon, as they will not be able to keep their promise under any circumstances. Addicts are determined to get what they want, so their fantasy works in one direction only: deceiving the victim. They cannot be called scammers, because sometimes people feel remorse. It's just that the desire to get what you want is so great that a person cannot do anything about it. Priorities are shifted in favor of dependence, so a person simply does not belong to himself anymore. It is useless to call him to conscience, he will come up with a lot of excuses and present himself as a victim of circumstances.

It would be useful to say that the habit of telling the truth is laid from childhood. If parents turn a blind eye to the fantasies (sometimes even unsafe ones) of their children, they have a huge risk of becoming an addict as a result. It will not be difficult for him to lie, and the parents will not have the opportunity to prevent negative consequences. An adult addict should never be trusted under any circumstances.

Infantilism

One of the signs of a dependent personality is infantilism. These people prefer not to leave their childhood, allowing themselves all sorts of entertainment and never feeling responsible for themselves. They easily make any compromises with their conscience, and in case of danger they easily shift the blame onto other people. Infantilism is the basic condition for all kinds of addiction. Very often, this phenomenon can be observed in couples where a woman cannot take a step without her partner (it happens the other way around, but it is much less common). The second example would be adult children who are completely dependent on their parents, which sometimes goes beyond acceptable norms.

The most effective way to get rid of addiction in this case is the correct moderate upbringing of the child, when he is not spoiled excessively and is not kept in "hedgehogs". If you are dealing with an adult infant addict, you need to deprive him of care without regret and help him adapt in the serious world of responsible people.

Perfectionism

The constant desire to do everything in the best way and to demand the same from loved ones often leads to dependence. A person is constantly dissatisfied with everything, there is no inner harmony in him. He drives himself and others to exhaustion by trying to do the impossible. When he realizes that he cannot achieve his goal, he breaks into addictions, trying at least for a while to take a break from the constant pursuit of the ideal.

In order to prevent negative consequences, it is necessary to bring up children without excessive strictness. Do not demand from the child the fulfillment of all his desires. He will get used to constantly justifying the trust placed in him and will not be able to forgive himself if he has failed in something.

Manipulation

Dependent people can easily manipulate others. They adapt to the world around them, notice even the smallest trifles and see their benefit in everything. They are good psychologists (in their favor) and see the weaknesses of other people, which they then cleverly use. Addicts strike at pity, use flattery, pretend to be inept and helpless.

The recipe for treating such people is very simple: do not allow them to manipulate you even for the most insignificant reasons. Parents are encouraged to educate their children in independence and not allow excessive guardianship on their part.

Above we have named some character traits of dependent people. The list of negative qualities of addicts is actually very long, so it makes no sense to list them endlessly. One has only to understand that addiction is an insidious disease, which in its negative force is equal to death (and sometimes even worse), because it affects a person and everyone who is close to him. It is necessary to try never to depend on anyone or anything, because freedom and independence are the strongest desire for any self-sufficient person.

Dependent personality - what determines such a predisposition

Dependent personality - what determines such a predisposition

Dependent personality: why do some people tend to develop various forms of addictive behavior in them, while others do not? What personality traits influence addiction? What determines such a predisposition?

Below we will dwell on some character traits common to all addictive personalities.

1. Extremely low stress tolerance

Everyone experiences stress in their lives. Most of us learn survival skills and are able to effectively deal with all problems and adversity, except perhaps in the most extreme circumstances. Then we can all give vent to our feelings and admit our own weakness in the face of adversity. However, in general, the ability to cope with stress is one of the basic skills of an adult, socially adapted person. With addicts it's a little different. These people have a very low level of resistance to stress, and the schemes for responding to external stressors work according to the avoidance method. They "hide" in the object of addiction from external psychological pressure and tension. Instead of solving the problem, they leave it, some in alcohol, some in the arcade, some in the shopping center. Essentially, addicts are very weak and psychologically vulnerable people.

2. Deceitfulness

A dependent person will lie. Always and in everything. His only goal is to get what he wants. He will distort reality just as much as it takes to get his way. Appealing to the conscience of an addict is useless. It’s not that she doesn’t exist at all, she is, but he very skillfully negotiates with her. An addicted person, for example, experiences some remorse when he steals money from loved ones in order to make another bet in slot machines, but for a very short time.

It is impossible to rely on such a person in deeds and joint plans, one cannot trust his promises. And here it is important to understand that his actions are not directed against you personally, but simply his priorities

are shifted, headed by dependence, it is in the first place. And when you try to bring him to justice for breaking his obligations and promises, the addict will try to present himself as a victim of monstrous circumstances and egregious injustice, turning the situation around so that he is the injured party in this case.

3. Infantilism

Or, in other words, personal immaturity. It looks like childish behavior that does not correspond to the actual age of the person and accepted norms. Such a person is prone to frivolous and irresponsible behavior, idleness and satisfaction of his desires. Infantes are for the most part capricious, very emotional and easily go into pleasurable activities, which causes them to improve their mood. At the same time, they lose the ability to control the time and effort spent on an exciting activity.

Such psychological characteristics can safely be called the basis of addictive behavior. The desire to realize one's own desires and, at the same time, the readiness, in the event of an unforeseen situation, to shift responsibility for one's actions to other people. Infantilism has its roots in childhood, where parents either show excessive guardianship, doing everything for the child and thereby depriving him of the opportunity to gain his own experience, or vice versa, give him complete independence, but do not teach anything, leaving him to the mercy of fate. In any of these options, not only infantilism is formed, but the child's self-esteem suffers.

Defined as the extreme rigidity of the human psyche. It is extremely difficult for people with a rigid psyche to change their habitual styles of thinking, behavior and reactions. It is difficult for them to change their opinion or attitude towards something, to abandon the pattern of habitual actions. A rigid personality has difficulty learning new things, because if the information they receive contradicts established beliefs, then it is not perceived, not subjected to rethinking, but simply discarded as a priori not correct and not effective.

Such psychological rigidity hinders the expansion of one's horizons, does not allow comfortable adaptation in society, and often leads to conflict situations with others. Extreme suspiciousness, resentment over all sorts of trifles, quick disappointment in the events taking place and in the people around them, with the inability to clearly articulate the reason for this.

5. Maximalism

Maximalism is one of the most common character traits of addicts. It is often referred to as "black and white thinking". Maximalists tend to approach any situation on an all-or-nothing basis, as well as overestimate the demands on everyone and everything that surrounds them in this world. These are people of extremes and for them there is no concept of "golden mean". They are either good or bad. Their motto is to be happy in the moment, long-term goals are not for them.

​Now the idea is extremely popular that one should live according to the principle “here and now”, at this very moment of time, without looking back and not thinking about the future, because the past no longer exists, and the future may not come. This approach is often advocated by various happier life consultants. Take everything from life immediately, otherwise you may not have time! And there is one subtle point. The desire for instant satisfaction of any need in people prone to the formation of behavioral addiction can have an unexpected effect. They are already not inclined to set long-term goals, and in this case, compulsive behavior is completely justified.

6. Conformity

​The essence of this is the ability to adapt. The basis here is infantilism and its eternal companions - self-doubt and fear, which leads to excessive sensitivity of a person to external manifestations in his address. The inability to resist other people's pressure, when views, desires and aspirations are strongly imposed, on the one hand, and the fear of taking responsibility for one's own actions, on the other, leads to the only acceptable form - adaptation.

Imitating the behavior of the surrounding majority, blindly accepting someone else's opinion as one's own, without subjecting it to even minimal analysis, is a characteristic feature of such people. With the help of this, they create an illusion of security in themselves, because if "I will be like everyone else, then they will not touch me." Familiar, isn't it?.. Hence the desire of the addict to communicate exclusively with those who share his views, with the maximum of his own kind.

And accordingly, those who pose a potential threat to the comfortable existence of an addicted person, destroying his familiar world (addiction specialists, relatives and friends, people who criticize the addictive lifestyle), are perceived with distrust, and any forced contacts with such people are addicts. trying to reduce to manipulation. In other words, if there is no opportunity to choose the environment, then the addict will adapt to the existing one, but as soon as such an opportunity arises, a person with addiction will instantly prefer communication with his own kind. For addicts, conformity is a stable pattern of behavior and the only way to interact with the outside world.

7. Anxiety

​First of all, it is necessary to clarify that anxiety and fear, despite their similarities, are essentially different things. In both cases, it is an emotional reaction to a certain situation that poses a potential threat to a person. Characteristic manifestations in this case will be rapid breathing and heartbeat, weakness in the limbs, profuse sweating. However, the fundamental difference is that in one case it is a reality, and in the other it is not. Fear is always objectively justified, and the feeling of anxiety is, as it were, the background of the personality.

When faced with unfair punishment, aggression from the mother in early childhood and not understanding the reasons that caused such an attitude, the child experiences a feeling of fear. He does not understand how he should react to the situation. On the one hand, the mother, as the most significant person in his life, must provide security, and on the other hand, it is from her that a potential threat comes. Such internal tension causes anxiety, which becomes constant over time and manifests itself in any situation that is potentially dangerous for a person.

Perhaps the central quality of an addictive personality. Egocentrism is just a stage in the development of the personality of any person, which he goes through in childhood, being surrounded by the care and guardianship of parents who do everything for him and for him, and which ends before 6-7 years of age. However, in dependent people, egocentrism is hypertrophied to the extent of a destructive personal attitude, expressed in fixation solely on his momentary desires, whims and experiences. Such a person is guided in everything by the rule: "there are only two opinions - the first is mine, the second is not correct."

His views and interests are not subject to criticism, beliefs, actions and decisions are not disputed, this is a taboo! The egocentrist does not give a damn about other people with all their feelings and desires, and other people's values ​​​​do not cause any respect and are not taken into account.

Anyone who dares to subject even the slightest criticism of an egocentrist, his behavior or way of life, is immediately excluded from the social circle. These people are quite sincerely convinced that the world revolves exclusively around them, and it was for the purpose of giving them pleasure that it was originally created, and those who doubt this are stupid ignoramuses.

9. Inconsistency of thinking

Inability to analyze past experience, establish cause-and-effect relationships and, based on the findings, make adequate decisions in the present. Due to poorly developed reflection, dependent people cannot rely on previous experience at the time of making a decision, and infantilism and egocentrism prevent them from taking responsibility for actions that entailed negative consequences. When one's own decisions are not subject to criticism, then there is no point in drawing conclusions, which leads to repeated repetition of the same mistakes, the responsibility for which is immediately shifted to someone else, or to external circumstances.

Due to such inconsistent thinking, an addict loses the ability to realize his aspirations and needs, to realize them, based on real abilities. If you ask an addicted person the question “What do you want?”, then most likely the answer will be “I don’t know.”

10. Daydreaming

The excellent ability to create illusions in one's head and immerse oneself in them is another distinguishing feature of addicts. This defense mechanism is reproduced whenever there is a feeling of inability to control what is happening. As soon as fear or insecurity appears, the addict hides from unwanted emotions and experiences in the world of his own dreams, creating for himself a fictitious image of reality.

The danger of this lies in the fact that over time, the fictional world acquires the same significance in the perception of the addict as reality, and sometimes more. This avoidance of problems is gradually so strengthened that it becomes completely automatic, obscuring reality. In most cases, this is why it is so difficult for the addict to convey the fallacy and fatality of their beliefs, because for them these beliefs are completely real and justified. Sometimes the addict himself sincerely believes in his own lie, because for him it is a product of an illusory world built by him, in which the addict is much more comfortable and calmer, thus blurring the line between fiction and reality.

11.
Impatience, striving for immediate satisfaction of desires

without putting much effort into it. Since he cannot stand it, the proposed solutions will also differ in the cardinality of the options, often turning into the inadequacy of the methods used without taking into account possible negative consequences.

The focus of the addict's attention is pleasure and pleasant sensations. At the very beginning, while the addiction is still being formed, a person receives these sensations by realizing the corresponding desires. For example, to switch and relax, a person can play a computer game or "one-armed bandit", having received pleasure from this activity.

As this way of getting pleasure becomes more frequent, turning into a way of life, it can be said that addiction has been formed. The usual desire for any person to experience pleasure is transformed into a necessity, without which the oppression of the emotional background and the deterioration of the physical condition are clearly felt.

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