When Enough is Never Enough: Understanding the High Sensation- Seeking Personality. Kenneth Carter, PhD, ABPP

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1 When Enough is Never Enough: Understanding the High Sensation- Seeking Personality Kenneth Carter, PhD, ABPP 1

To comply with professional boards/associations standards: I declare that I or my family do not have any financial relationship in any amount, occurring in the last 12 months with a commercial

2 To comply with professional boards/associations standards: I declare that I or my family do not have any financial relationship in any amount, occurring in the last 12 months with a commercial interest whose products or services are discussed in my presentation. Additionally, all planners involved have no financial relationship. I declare that I do not have any relevant non-financial relationships. Requirements for successful completion is completing this educational offering, passing the test at 75% or higher, and completing the evaluation form. Cross Country Education and all current accreditation statuses do not imply endorsement of any commercial products displayed in conjunction with this activity. When Enough is Never Enough: Understanding the High Sensation-Seeking Personality Kenneth Carter, PhD, ABPP Cross Country Education Leading the Way in Continuing Education and Professional Development 2

3 Objectives Describe the components of the high sensation-seeking personality Differentiate between healthy and unhealthy sensation-seeking Distinguish high sensation-seeking from other traits and psychological disorders Articulate the biological and environmental contributions to high sensation-seeking Explain clinical implications for working with high sensationseeking clients 3

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5 History of Sensation-Seeking Research Discovered during research on sensory deprivation Some felt okay during the study Others felt anxious, bored, and even hallucinated No test could predict what would happen during the study 5

6 History of Sensation-Seeking Research (Cont d) As the studies progressed, researchers noticed more people volunteering that seemed unconventional Participants showed up hoping to hallucinate Shifted the focus of their research to those who might be chronically under-aroused and needed more intense experiences to reach their optimal level 6

7 Sensation-Seeking Sensation-Seeking is a trait defined by the seeking of varied, novel, complex, and intense sensations and experiences, and the willingness to take physical, social, legal, and financial risks for the sake of such experiences. 7

8 Sensation-Seeking Continuum Low High 8

9 High Sensation-Seeking Questionnaire drkencarter.com/buzztest 9

10 Four Components to Sensation-Seeking 1. Thrill and adventure seeking (TAS) 2. Experience seeking (ES) 3. Disinhibition (DIS) 4. Boredom susceptibility (BS) 10

11 Thrill and Adventure Seeking This consists of desires to engage in sports or activities involving some physical danger or risk Mountain climbing, parachute jumping, scuba diving, speeding in a car, etc. 11

12 Experience Seeking This describes the desire to seek new experiences through the mind and senses Living in a nonconforming lifestyle with unconventional friends and through travel 12

13 Disinhibition This describes the need to disinhibit behavior in the social sphere Drinking, partying, and seeking variety in sexually risky experiences 13

14 Boredom Susceptibility This indicates an aversion for repetitive experience of any kind, routine work, or even dull or predictable people Restless reaction when things are unchanging Cross Country Education Copyright 2014 Kenneth Carter 14

15 Sensation-Seeking Demographics Men score higher in TAS, DIS, and BS Sensation-seeking scores increase until late teens and then decrease as people age 15

16 Biological Aspects Twin studies point to sensation-seeking being up to 60% genetically influenced Monoamine Oxidase may be involved in regulating levels of dopamine and testosterone 16

17 Environmental Aspects 40% influenced by the environment Environmental influences include friends and other life experiences 17

18 HSS vs. Extroversion High sensation-seeking can mimic extroversion, but it is distinct People with high sensation-seeking personalities can be introverted 18

20 Personality Behavior and Attitudes High degree of autonomy Emotionally expressive Assertive Independent from social conventions Fearless 20

21 Work and Fun Media: Drawn to art with tension and drama Vocations: Drawn to high risk vocations Sports and hobbies: Boredom susceptibility is related to extreme sports 21

22 Unhealthy Aspects of Sensation-Seeking Substance use: DIS and ES scales most correlated to substance use Driving: High sensation-seeking personalities drive faster and have more accidents Antisocial behavior: Most high sensation-seekers do not exhibit antisocial behavior 22

23 Healthy Aspects of Sensation-Seeking Independent, active, and curious Low stress and anxiety Autonomy and fearlessness Better coping skills 23

24 Discussing High Sensation-Seeking With Clients 24

25 Tips for the High Sensation-Seeking Client Stop and think Empathy Insight into impulsivity Separate sensation-seeking from novelty-seeking Reality checks 25

Although he s been injured on several occasions, Victor still BASE jumps regularly.

26 Case Study #1 Victor is a 22 year old parachute gear salesperson who lives in Twin Falls, Idaho. He moved to town 2 years ago to sell gear to adventure seekers. Although he s been injured on several occasions, Victor still BASE jumps regularly. All his friends are jumpers too. He s in counseling at the urging of his girlfriend, who doesn t enjoy Victor s activities. 26

27 Case Study #2 Sam is a 25 year old P.E. teacher at a local elementary school. He s been in counseling for a few months for his mood. He d been feeling depressed and down and missing work. Lately he s been feeling better; much better. In fact he s taken up several hobbies in the last few weeks including drag racing. He s recently looked into doing even more dangerous activities and comes in each week with something new. 27

28 References Charnigo, R., Noar, S. M., Garnett, C., Crosby, R., Palmgreen, P., & Zimmerman, R. S. (2013). Sensation seeking and impulsivity: combined associations with risky sexual behavior in a large sample of young adults. Journal of Sex Research, 50(5), doi: / Lauriola, M., Panno, A., Levin, I. P., & Lejuez, C. W. (2014). Individual Differences in Risky Decision Making: A Meta-analysis of Sensation Seeking and Impulsivity with the Balloon Analogue Risk Task. Journal of Behavioral Decision Making, 27(1), doi: /bdm.1784 Manna, G., Faraci, P., & Como, M. R. (2013). Factorial Structure and Psychometric Properties of the Sensation Seeking Scale Form V (SSS-V) in a Sample of Italian Adolescents. Europe s Journal of Psychology, 9(2), doi: /ejop.v9i2.500 Peer, E., & Rosenbloom, T. (2013). When two motivations race: The effects of time-saving bias and sensationseeking on driving speed choices. Accident; Analysis and Prevention, 50, doi: /j.aap Sanbonmatsu, D. M., Strayer, D. L., Medeiros-Ward, N., & Watson, J. M. (2013). Who multi-tasks and why? Multitasking ability, perceived multi-tasking ability, impulsivity, and sensation seeking. PloS One, 8(1), e doi: /journal.pone Zuckerman, Marvin. Sensation Seeking and Risky Behavior. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association, Print. 28

29 Questions and Answers Kenneth Carter PhD, ABPP Emory University 29

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31 Thanks for attending When Enough is Never Enough: Understanding the High Sensation- Seeking Personality Kenneth Carter, PhD, ABPP 3 1

o ur brains crave excitement, and varied stimuli and experiences.

o ur brains crave excitement, and varied stimuli and experiences. 16 Unlock Your Life 4 Quest for Excitement It Can Exhilarate or Kill Sensation seekers generally prefer active to passive experience, or real life involvement to spectator status. Their preferences in