Research on neurotics, a primary division of personality, is extensive: many studies have found that scores of neurotics are relate and are predictive of life stress, emotional and psychological disorders, and substance abuse. Personality was inventoried using the Revised NEO Personality Inventory (NEO-PI-R) and the Essence Personality Inventory (PEP). An individual’s drug abuse was consistently evaluated in the literature by means of self-report.
With a reliTABLE and valid measurement of neurotics it is possible to run a tactical analysis between constructs like drug abuse believed to correlate with the trait and find the results considerTABLE. Literature has shown that personality constructs can be predictive of such disorders as substance abuse and that individuals who score high in neurotics have high drug abuse potential. Consistent limitations included use of self-report data and young age of participants. Future research aims to correct these problems and delve deeper into the relationship between neurotics and drug abuse. Neurotics in Relationship to Drug Abuse
Personality traits are frequently associated with personal choices and are regarded as the primary forces in producing life outcomes. Because aspects of personality are readily relevant to many areas of life, it is extremely important that we explore thoroughly the widely accepted inclusive personality constructs of the Five-Factor Model of personality (Terracing, Locking, Crux, Bienville, ; Costa, 2008). Neurotics, characterized by frequent anxiety and negative thoughts, is one of the five factors commonly assessed in regard to life outcomes, specifically in research of maladaptive life choices.
One outcome to look at is drug abuse, using a substance in a detrimental way, as it not only affects the individual’s life but also society as a whole. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate, by review of research and literature, whether individuals high in neurotics are those likely to abuse drugs. Neurotics Surprisingly, half of the articles reviewed for this paper did not contain a clear definition of neurotics, leaving readers to apply previous knowledge of the trait (Ball, Teen, Poling, Crankier, & Renville, 1997; Gherkin, Sheer, & Wood, 2006; Cornёr & Nordic, 2007; Nary, Shams, Gain, amp; Guppy, 1997).
Romeo, Roseanne, & Farmer (2004) assess trait neurotics as having anxiety, negative thoughts, and emotional instability. Other literature includes depression and vulnerability to the construct definition (Ciders & Smith, 2008). Research on neurotics, a primary division of personality, is extensive: many studies have found that scores of neurotics are relate and are predictive of life stress, emotional and psychological disorders, and substance abuse (Romeo et al. 2004). A meta- analysis of 1 75 published studies on Big F-eve personality traits and anxiety, oppressive and substance use maladies observed that neurotics is the most significant correlate with the construct of drug abuse (Kyoto, Game, Schmidt, & Watson, 2010). The scales used in the research of these studies are vital in assessment of such findings; if the measurement of the construct is not thorough and accurate then the findings may not be considerTABLE.
Measuring Neurotics There are two inventories of personality that are consistent in all literature used for this paper: the Revised NEO Personality Inventory (NEO-PI-R) and the Essence Personality Inventory (PEP) (Ball et al. 1997; Ciders and Smith, 2008; Gherkin et al. , 2006; Cornёr &arnp; Nordic, 2007; Kyoto et al. , 2010; Nary et al. , 1997; Romeo et al. , 2004; Terracing et al. , 2008). Ifs important to discuss these scales because they serve as the starting point for research: in order to draw conclusions about constructs they must first be viably measured.
The NEO-PI-R, or a shortened version of it, was used in 7 or the 8 articles reviewed. Romeo et al. , (2004) offer a comprehensive overview of the scale as “240 items answered on a five-point Liker format ranging from strongly disagree to strongly agree. The NEO-PI-R assesses 30 facets; six for each dimension of the Five Factor Model… ” (p. 907). They go on to report substantiation of “convergent and discriminate validity… And a large literature demonstrates cross-observer agreement and prediction of external criteria such as psychological well-being [and] health risk behaviors…
We found adequate alpha reliabilities, retest-stability, and factor structure of the NEO- PI-R” (Romeo et al. , 2004, p. 907). The PEP unfortunately was not described in detail; however, Romeo et al. , (2004) do report “The NEO-PI-R neurotics call is similar to Essence’s neurotics scale with which it correlates strongly (r ; 0. 70)” (p. 907). Because there is evidence of validity and reliability, it can be assessed that the NEO-PI-R scale is likely to be highly useful in evaluation of personality.
Furthermore, because of such a high correlation between the NEO-PI-R and the PEP, one could conclude that the PEP is also a good measure of the neurotics trait. That said, the major inconsistency of the literature reviewed for this paper is in the assessment of reliability; Kyoto et al. , (2010) assert that “several of the higher order trait measures (Big Five) included in our analyses displayed poor reliability’ (p. 810). Despite the inconsistency, both articles yielded similar results that measurements of neurotics are correlated with drug abuse (Kyoto et al. , 201 0; Romeo et al. , 2004). Correlations of Neurotics. tactical analysis between constructs believed to correlate with the trait and find the results considerTABLE. As previously stated, the NEO-PI-R is a measurement of the facets of neurotics which IS beneficial because with the measurement of the facets it possible to correlate them with the same constructs (Terracing et al. , 2008). Facets of the Big Five are not the only other traits worth considering; there are traits that are important to consider such as distribution -lack of self-restraint- and negative urgency -responding to a negative situation with rash behavior (Ciders & Smith, 2008; Gherkin et al. , 2006).
It is important to identify traits that correlate with one another because individuals do not have just one trait; if you identify a certain trait that an individual has, you can look at the traits correlates to get a better idea of an individual’s personality on the whole and better relate life outcomes Ciders ; Smith, 2008). By looking at distribution along with negative urgency and neurotics, drug abuse is easier to predict than by looking at just one of those traits alone (Gherkin et 2006). Drug Abuse Drug abuse is a negative life outcome in which an individual uses substances in a unhealthy and/or illegal manner (Terracing et al. 2008). Abuse of substances can be detrimental to health of both mind and body, leading to such things as organ failures, addiction, and other emotional and/or physical disorders. The community is also affected by drug abuse; money and sources for law enforcement, jails, and some rehabilitation programs comes from the tax payers (Terracing et al. , 2008). Literature has shown that personality constructs can be predictive of such disorders as substance abuse and that individuals who score high in neurotics have high drug abuse potential (Ball et al. , 1997; Ciders and Smith, 2008; Gherkin et al. 2006; Cornёr ; Nordic, 2007; Kyoto et al. , 2010; Nary et al. , 1997; Romeo et al. , 2004; Terracing et al. , 2008). Because of such findings, steps can be taken to try and limit the potential for drug abuse, especially for highly erotic individuals (Kyoto et al. , 2010). This paper focuses on research that investigates many highly abused substances but primarily focuses on the abuse of illicit and more restricted drugs such as cocaine and heroin, and opiates. Restricted Drugs of Abuse As different drugs have different pharmacological effects, researching a variety of drugs is necessary (Nary et al. 1997). While neurotics correlates with almost all drug abuse, it correlates very strong to the illicit drugs (Terracing et al. , 2008). Terracing et al. , (2008) found that “cocaine seers are characterized by high scores on Neurotics [and] related traits such as depression and impulsively’ (Para. 4). Nary et al. , (1997) yielded that heroin abusers score much higher in neurotics than non abusers. Opiates are illegal when purchased by individuals who are not prescribed them, thus they are a restricted drug.
In the research done by Cornёr and Nordic (2007) results claim that those individuals who abuse voids are more emotionally unsTABLE than those who do not abuse the drug (Para. 26). These findings are consistent throughout the literature reviewed. Data to reduce such findings collected in only a couple ways over a long period of time (Ball et al. , 1997). Drug Abuse Data Collection In almost every piece of literature reviewed longitudinal studies were done or relied upon in some way (Ball et al. , 1997; Ciders and Smith, 2008; Gherkin et al. , 2006; Cornёr & Nordic, 2007; Kyoto et al. , 2010; Romeo et al. 2004; Terracing et al. , 2008). This design is useful in the study of drug abuse because it considers changes in personality over the course of drug abuse, thus researchers can see whether or not the individual becomes more reroutes the longer drug abuse occurs (Gherkin et al. , 2006). An individual’s drug abuse was consistently evaluated in the literature by means of self- report, either in interview or questionnaire form that included questions about how much and how often the individual uses a certain substance (Ball et al. , 1997; Ciders and Smith, 2008; Gherkin et al. , 2006; Cornёr & Nordic, 2007; Kyoto et al. 2010; Romeo et al. , 2004; Terracing et al. , 2008). By using repeated measures of self-report in a longitude anal design to obtain data, researchers were TABLE to determine the consistencies and changes of rationality during drug abuse and after treatment. Trait neurotics was constant throughout all studies, affirming that it is a correlate of drug abuse. (Ball et al. , 1997; Ciders and Smith, 2008; Gherkin et al. , 2006; Cornёr & Conclusion Cornёr and Nordic (2007) have found scores of neurotics indicate heightened levels of depression, anxiety, and vulnerability in an individual.
This paper has repeatedly shown that the personality construct of neurotics is related and even predictive of an individual’s drug abuse (Ball et al. , 1997; ciders and smith, 2008; Gherkin et al. , 2006; Cornёr &arnp; Nordic, 2007; Kyoto et al. , 2010; Nary et al. , 1 997; Romeo et al. , 2004; Terracing et al. , 2008). Commonly used and accepted personality scales such as the NEO-PI-R and PEP are reliTABLE and valid measurements of neurotics which allow for accurate correlations with life outcomes as well as other constructs (Romeo et al. 2004, p. 907). Such traits as negative urgency and distribution positively correlate both neurotics and drug abuse disorders (Ciders & Smith, 2008; Gherkin et al. , 2006). The abuses of drugs, especially those of an illegal nature, have disadvantageous effects n the wellbeing of both the individual abuser and the surrounding communities (Terracing et al. , 2008). Longitudinal studies in which data was collected by self-report showed neurotics to be a constant correlate of drug abuse (Gherkin et al. , 2006).
As previously stated, age of participants is important to the context of the study because life stages can affect current life outcomes just as much as traits can affect life outcomes. Recommendations for Future Research Future research should first look to correcting problems or limitations of current research, thus in the future different methods for collecting data about drug abusers should be used. Observer-reporting may be a good alternative to this problem; reporting by others who are around the drug abusing individual on a regular basis may yield more accurate descriptions Of abuse patterns.
Also, studies should always include the ages of the participants in order for the reader to put the research in context. Studies might want to include 3-4 different age groups which they study separately to get a better idea of how drug abuse affects neurotics throughout life span and maybe it would be possible then to identify time periods in the life span where treatment is best implemented or most effective. There are so many evils where this research could go, some questions future research could attempt to answer are: Does specific measurements of traits affect what type of drug is abused?
Does a certain abuse pattern increase specific traits? Is neurotics linked any neurotransmitter problems as is drug abuse? If traits are heriTABLE, is drug abuse then heriTABLE too? There remains much room for exploration of the effects of drug about in relation to trait neurotics.
