Abstract
Do addictions share common traits of an “addictive personality” or do different addictions have distinct personality profiles? This narrative review examines the differences in the associations between substance use disorder (SUD) and compulsive sexual behavior disorder (CSBD), on the one hand, and personality traits, attachment dispositions, and temperament, on the other hand. We found that both people with a SUD and people with CSBD tended to be more spontaneous, careless, and less reliable, to place self-interest above getting along with others, to show emotional instability and experience negative emotions such as anger, anxiety, and/or depression, to be less able to control their attention and/or behavior, and to be engulfed with a constant sensation of “wanting”. Only people with CSBD, but not SUD, noted concerns with their social ties, fear of losing close others, and/or trusting others around them. Results also suggested that people with a SUD and people with CSBD share high commonalities in personality traits and temperament, yet there are noted differences in their social tendencies, especially with close others. People with CSBD reported more concerns with possible relationship losses compared to people with SUD issues, who may be more worried about losing their source of escapism.
Highlights
Laypeople often relate the definition of addiction to substance use disorder (SUD).Research, has indicated that addictions do comprise the consumption of exogenous psychoactive substances such as drugs or alcohol, and include behaviors.Non-substance behavioral addictions include internet addiction, internet gaming disorder, gambling disorder, compulsive buying, exercise dependence, food addiction, work addiction, and compulsive sexual behavior [1,2]
A few dozen studies have been published on the correlation between SUD and the big five personality traits [6,51,52]
Additional research is needed to examine possible gender differences in personality classification, as it relates to the clinical manifestation of compulsive sexual behavior disorder (CSBD), which remains still understudied
Summary
Non-substance behavioral addictions include internet addiction, internet gaming disorder, gambling disorder (formerly known as pathological gambling), compulsive buying, exercise dependence, food addiction, work addiction, and compulsive sexual behavior (often referred in the academic and popular culture as “sexual addiction”) [1,2]. Prior work has already examined whether there is an “addictive personality” that predisposes people to various forms of addictions [3,4], or whether there are different personality dispositions that predispose people to different forms of addictions. We will draw similarities between SUD and one common behavioral addiction—compulsive sexual behavior disorder (CSBD)—in various trait-like dispositions—the big-five personality traits, attachment styles, and temperament. Most studies examined SUD and behavioral addiction separately [5,6] with only a few studies contrasting SUD and CSBD directly [4,7]
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