evaluation

• personality alone is not a sufficient explanation for addiction, as many of the personality characteristics linked to addiction, also show a clear relationship to dopamine functioning.
• not sufficient -explain

  this suggests that impulsive people are more likely to become addicted because they get a greater dopamine high from amphetamines.
• not sufficient - link

  this explanation would prove more effective when used in conjunction with bio explanations for addiction.
• not sufficient- example

  Buckholtz et al (2010) suggested that biology and personality interact to result in addictive behaviour. 


  they looked at impulsivity in non-addicts and recorded their brain activity when given amphetamines.

  those with higher impulsivity showed greater dopamine release and lower receptivity.
• supporting research - example

  Madhuri (2012) found that psychoticism and neuroticism were found to be significantly higher in alcoholics and drug addicts as compared to non-alcoholics and non-drug addicts.

  she also found that extraversion was significantly lower in alcoholics and drug addicts.
• supporting research - example

  Gossop and Eysenck (1980) researched over 200 drug addicts and found that addicts had high P and N scores but lower E and L scores than the control group.
• supporting research - link

  this is a strength as empirical, objective methods were used to demonstrate the link between personality and addiction, increasing the credibility of this explanation.
• there are some issues with the whole concept of an addictive personality.
• addictive personality - explain

  there are numerous traits that have been linked to addiction and often these traits are not unique to addiction - Eysenck also found high P and N scores in criminals.
• addictive personality - example

  Franques et al. (2000) argues "Within the field of substance abuse, it is now widely admitted that the addictive personality does not exist... The predisposition to drug dependence involves many different factors: psychological, social, familial, biological. None of these factors can be the sole determinant of drug dependence."
• addictive personality - link

  therefore, it may not be appropriate to refer to an "addictive personality" as if it were a set of simple traits that make someone more prone to addiction - in reality, it is much more complex.