The Addictive Personality

KYTOS Biology

One theory of addiction (and one that has popular appeal outside of psychology) is that of the addictive personality. This theory states that some people have a personality type that predisposes them towards addictive behaviour. This personality is caused by differences in the biological make up of individuals. It has been argued that people with this personality type are prone towards addictive behaviour, and are more likely than people with other personality types to become addicted to a substance or behaviour. In this podcast, I aim to give an overview of the theory of addictive personality, explaining the three parts of personality as identified by Eysenck, including their biological basis. I provide research evidence that both supports and contradicts this theory, with an evaluation of whether it can account for addictive behaviour. (With thanks to our sponsor 'Curriculum Press' for providing content for this podcast)