In: Personality and Individual Differences, 1, 197–206. He called it sensation seeking, and in order to study it carefully he also developed the Sensation Seeking Scale. The theory of sensation seeking was proposed to explain why some people routinely seek out thrilling experiences, even though such experiences may come with certain risks. He decided to become a psychoanalyst, so, after serving his duty in the army (following World War II), attended New York University. Here we see the author in Mt. New York: Cambridge University Press. The theory of sensation seeking has evolved and changed over time. It also incorporates social nonconformity, particularly associated with belonging to groups on the fringes of conventional society. This proved to be rather curious, since impulsivity was a substrate of neuroticism, whereas “excitement seeking” was a substrate of extraversion. The Sensation Seeking Scale is a dispositional measure designed to assess individual differences in “the seeking of varied, novel, complex and intense sensations and experiences” (Zuckerman 1994, p. 27).After its appearance in the mid-1960s, the measure underwent considerable development, and the current iteration, Form 5 (SSS-V; Zuckerman et al. Log in. There was no relationship between sensation‐seeking and the trait dimension of neuroticism. Sensation seeking comes in many forms. If you checked 9 or less of the items, you are probably not a sensation seeker. Dopamine in the medial forebrain bundle and the nucleus. Yes, you can be an HSP and score high on sensation seeking … The balance between monoamine reactivities and such conflict is hypothesized to … In contrast to sensory deprivation, he also began to study sensation seeking, its apparent counterpart. The Role of Sensation Seeking in Political Violence: An Extension of the Significance Quest Theory Birga M. Schumpe and Jocelyn J. Bélanger New York University Abu Dhabi Zuckerman emphasizes that high sensation-seeking is a normal personality trait, despite its association with risky behavior. Now an integral part of personality testing, including adaptations for use with children, this reissue is … This is particularly true for personality constructs. In 1975, Zuckerman took a sabbatical to work with Hans Eysenck, leading to the publication of some joint papers, and Zuckerman’s eventual contribution to Eysenck’s second festschrift (see Zuckerman, 1997). Zuckerman, M./ Neeb, M. (1980): Demographic influences in sensation seeking and expressions of sensation seeking in religion, smoking, and driving habits. Hunters are positively excited by change, danger, and the variety and unpredictability of the hunt. Within the context of sunscreen, sensation seeking again predicted vicarious-boomerang effects along with boomerang effects. The monoamine theory of sensation seeking involves three monoamin es: dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine (Zuckerman, 1995). He then suffered a period of depression, during which he discovered the work of Sigmund Freud. San Diego, CA: Elsevier. The psychology of sensation-seekers He developed an interest in one particular trait, and he has studied that trait in great detail. He retired in 2002, but has remained busy enjoying life, giving talks, writing, and conducting research (Zuckerman, 1983, 1991, 2006). The Sensation Seeking Scale (SSS) developed in the 1960s was the first operationalised measure of sensation seeking (Zuckerman, Kolin, Price, & Zoob, 1964). If you checked 13 or more of the items, you’re probably a sensation seeker. 10.7: Paul Costa and Robert McCrae and the Five-Factor Model of Personality. Disinhibition: This factor covers sensation seeking that focuses on social activities, such as parties, drinking, illegal drugs, and sex. Plants grow slowly and require patience and tedious kinds of labor to insure their survival. A model for the relationships of mood, activity, social interaction, and clinical conditions to catechol… While Zuckerman did not intend for his five factors to match those of Costa and McCrae exactly, it is easy to see a relationship between sociability and agreeableness, activity and extraversion, sensation seeking and openness, and neuroticism and neuroticism. His work on sensation seeking, and his relationship with Eysenck, have led Zuckerman to become one of today’s leading proponents of the biological basis of personality. He spent a few years at a hospital and then a psychiatric research institute in Indiana, where he began studying sensory deprivation (see, e.g., Zuckerman et al., 1962). The study of this trait has enjoyed a certain popular appeal, exemplified by the success of the X Games and, more recently, the popularity of televised mixed martial arts competitions. 46; Zuckerman, 1993). Watch the recordings here on Youtube! 384-385; Zuckerman, 1994). Originally published in 1979, this title represents a summary of 17 years of research centring around the Sensation Seeking Scale (SSS) and the theory from which the test was derived. Sensation‐seeking was positively correlated with the traits of extraversion and psychoticism as measured by the EPQ. Sensation Seeking. If he limited his factor analysis to five factors, as Costa and McCrae had, impulsivity and sensation seeking always combined to form a factor that he called impulsive sensation seeking. Experience Seeking: This factor encompasses novel sensations and experiences, such as arousing music, art, and travel. Since then, the theory behind the trait has developed with research. The monoamine theory of sensation seeking involves three monoamin es: dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine (Zuckerman, 1995). The LibreTexts libraries are Powered by MindTouch® and are supported by the Department of Education Open Textbook Pilot Project, the UC Davis Office of the Provost, the UC Davis Library, the California State University Affordable Learning Solutions Program, and Merlot. Missed the LibreFest? Using factor analysis, Zuckerman and his colleagues have identified four subscales within the sensation seeking trait: Thrill and Adventure Seeking: Many people enjoy engaging in risky sports and other potentially dangerous experiences that produce unique sensations related to speed or defying gravity, such as rock climbing, BASE jumping, or drag racing. (pg. This factor is exemplified by the sports included in the X Games. If there are any subscales on which you think you would score either low or high, what impression do you have of people who have an opposite score on those same scales? Sensation seeking is a personality trait defined by the search for experiences and feelings, that are "varied, novel, complex and intense", and by the readiness to "take physical, social, legal, and financial risks for the sake of such experiences." Unfortunately, a bad grade in chemistry made it impossible to get into the medical school of his choice, so he chose to begin the graduate program in clinical psychology at NYU. For example, individuals who are high sensation seekers are more likely to have varied sexual experiences, but they are not more likely to avoid using condoms. It was created in 1964 by Marvin Zuckerman, at the University of Delaware. (Ed.). Washington in New Hampshire. It was because of these profound effects of sensory deprivation that Zuckerman began to pursue the underlying variable that leads individuals to their optimal level of arousal. Among contemporary temperament theories the sensation seeking conceptualization belongs to those with well-established traditions. Behavioral expressions and biosocial bases of sensation seeking. His five factors are sociability, neuroticism-anxiety, impulsive sensation seeking, aggression-hostility, and activity (Zuckerman, 2006). Stelmack, R. M. Boredom Susceptibility: Individuals who score high on this factor cannot tolerate any kind of repetitive experience, including routine work and boring people. Unless otherwise noted, LibreTexts content is licensed by CC BY-NC-SA 3.0. If there are any. If you checked 10, 11, or 12 of the items, you are probably somewhere in between on sensation seeking. Likewise, Sensation-Seeking and Impulsivity (Psychosocial Development) These findings speak particularly to the issue of immaturity and culpability, and are important to consider when mitigating illegal behavior in adolescents. During the course of his research, Zuckerman found a close relationship between sensation seeking and impulsivity. Aggression-hostility, however, seems to relate more to Eysenck’s factor psychoticism. Sensation-seeking, also called thrill-seeking or excitement-seeking, is the tendency to pursue new and different sensations, feelings, and experiences. The paper allows an explicit test of a sensation-seeking perspective to help account for substance use (legal and illegal) among a sample of nearly … Zuckerman, M. (1994). Another problem that Zuckerman expressed with regard to the Five-Factor Model was his belief that words like “conscientiousness” have no meaning in species other than humans. 10; Zuckerman, 1979). For example, the trait plays a role in bringing people into prosocial occupations such as law enforcement, firefighting and emergency room medicine-high-stress jobs that would shut down low sensation-seekers. On the psychobiology of personality: Essays in honor of Marvin Zuckerman. (pg. The Sensation-Seeking Theory was one of the topics that bothered my mind from the moment it was first introduced until its discussion was closed. The author is highly susceptible to boredom, so he likes to travel to interesting places. There are several aspects of sensation seeking that are … Across both contexts, sensation seeking was an antecedent to vicarious-boomerang effects, which suggests that sensation seekers are likely to restore their threatened freedom through other avenues, but how remains unknown. The intensive and extensive studies of Zuckerman and his coworkers over two decades have yielded a large amount of evidence in favor of his ideas and hypotheses. All people seem to seek an optimal level of stimulation and/or arousal. Since Zuckerman favors a biological/genetic basis for personality, there should be evolutionary correlates of any personality structure in other animals, particularly the closely related apes. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 42 : 572 –75. Carrol, E. N., Zuckerman, M. & Vogel, W. H. (1982) A test of the optimal level of arousal theory of sensation seeking. Thus, there remains a need for continued research into this field, particularly as it pertains to the evolutionary basis for personality factors, but Eysenck, Costa, McCrae, and Zuckerman have provided an excellent and coherent basis for further research. After several moves, including the threat of being fired from Adelphi University due to newspaper photos of the college professor arrested and lying in the local jail (following his involvement in a protest against racism), in 1968 he joined the faculty of the University of Delaware. 10.8: Marvin Zuckerman and the Sensation Seeking Personality Trait, [ "article:topic", "license:ccby", "showtoc:no", "authorname:mkelland" ], https://socialsci.libretexts.org/@app/auth/2/login?returnto=https%3A%2F%2Fsocialsci.libretexts.org%2FBookshelves%2FPsychology%2FBook%253A_Personality_Theory_in_a_Cultural_Context_(Kelland)%2F10%253A_Trait_Theories_of_Personality%2F10.08%253A_Marvin_Zuckerman_and_the_Sensation_Seeking_Personality_Trait, Which areas of Zuckerman’s sensation seeking trait do you find most interesting, and which, do you think you would score high on (they may not be the same)? The Sensation Seeking Scale is one of the most common psychological instrument for measuring sensation seeking.It was created in 1964 by Marvin Zuckerman, at the University of Delaware. Originally published in 1979, this title represents a summary of 17 years of research centring around the Sensation Seeking Scale (SSS) and the theory from which the test was derived. The Sensation Seeking Scale has been revised a number of times. For more information contact us at info@libretexts.org or check out our status page at https://status.libretexts.org. Sensation seeking can be explained by genetic, biological, psychophysiological, and social factors (Zuckerman, 1994, 1996), and sensation seekers are described as individuals who engage in behaviors to increase the amount of experienced stimulation, thus seeking out arousal (Roberti, 2004). Originally published in 1979, this title represents a summary of 17 years of research centring around the Sensation Seeking Scale (SSS) and the theory from which the test was derived. Now an integral part of personality testing, including adaptations for use with children, this reissue is a chance to see where it all began. Zuckerman was the son of a mechanical engineer who came to America from Russia. Sensation seeking is a basic personality trait that has been defined as “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 experience” (Zuckerman 1994, 27). Table 7.2 Items from the Sensation-Seeking Scale. Marvin Zuckerman represents the current approach taken by many psychologists who study traits. Generally, sensory deprivation leads to increased anxiety, somatic discomfort, and thinking and concentration difficulties. Zuckerman found it difficult to find an area of psychology that appealed to him, except for a vague interest in experimental studies that suggested an “exploratory drive,” something we might also call curiosity, in a variety of animal species. Rainier, Washington (bottom right), and the author’s son walking in the Great Salt Lake in Utah’s desert (top right). According to Zuckerman’s (1994) theory, 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 experience” (p. 27). Explanation of Theory: The sensation seeking theory states that individuals seek activities and experiences that will gratify their need for sensation, and maintains that there are different levels of sensation (high or low) that can be applied. People who are high in sensation seeking are attracted to the unknown and as a result consistently seek the new, varied, and unpredictable. [LvK, tarMZ] Sensation-seeking, also called thrill-seeking or excitement-seeking, is the tendency to pursue new and different sensations, feelings, and experiences. According to this perspective, two requirements of performing a suicide are a suicidal desire and the capability to act. Marvin Zuckerman Originally published in 1979, this title represents a summary of 17 years of research centring around the Sensation Seeking Scale (SSS) and the theory from which the test was derived. For some, that level of arousal is quite high, for others, it is rather low. Now an integral part of personality testing, including adaptations for use with children, this reissue is … Research on sensation seeking has historically been based on the hypothesis that individuals have different optimal levels of stimulation (Zuckerman 1979).Individuals high in sensation seeking are posited to be chronically underaroused, as such they seek additional stimulation to maintain or attain optimal levels of arousal through pursuit of varied and novel sensations. Zuckerman’s (1969) original theory explained sensation seeking (SS) in the context of an optimal level of reticulocortical arousal, wherein cortically underaroused high sensation seekers engaged in varied, novel, complex, and risky behavior to achieve a more optimal level of arousal. The concept was not new when Zuckerman began to study sensory deprivation and sensation seeking. Finally, the relevance of a sensation-seeking approach to social learning theory is explored. Sensation seeking is usually gauged according to the Zuckerman, Eysenck, and Eysenck (1978) Sensation Seeking Scale form V (SSS-V). Which areas of Zuckerman’s sensation seeking trait do you find most interesting, and which subscales do you think you would score high on (they may not be the same)? Sensation seeking is more predictive of outcome measures, shows stronger correlations with LH traits, subsumes contributed variance of impulsivity and demonstrates expected patterns of … CrossRef Google Scholar The Sensation Seeking Scaleis one of the most common psychological instrument for measuring sensation seeking. And rock and ice climbers take full advantage of safety gear, they study self-rescue techniques, and they check their gear carefully before each trip. 1978), has been the standard … Now an integral part of personality testing, including adaptations for use with children, this reissue is a chance to see where it all began. on which you think you would score either low or high, what impression do you have of people who have an opposite score on those same scales? Sensation seeking was postulated as being characterized by strong approach and weak inhibition (impulsivity) and arousal in approach-avoidance conflict situations. It is also important to note that it is neither good nor bad to score high or low on this scale: In this sociobiological sense, the high sensation seeker is a hunter and the low sensation seeker is a farmer. Zuckerman also found clinical work unfulfilling, so he began to focus more on conducting research. The sensation seeking construct is defined as: ‘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 experience’ (Zuckerman, 1994, p. 27).Some have equated sensation seeking with ‘risk seeking’. Zuckerman created the scale with the purpose of better understanding personality traits such as neuroticism, antisocial behavior, and psychopathy. As Freud said, it is in the nature of scientific theory to change as new findings bring old ideas into question and suggest new interpretations of old data. Figure \(\PageIndex{2}\) Figure \(\PageIndex{3}\). The Zuckerman Sensation-Seeking Scale-V (SSS-V) consists of 40 forced-choice questions designed to assess individual differences in optimal level of stimulation. Now an integral part of personality testing, including adaptations for use with children, this reissue is … However, adolescence may be a particularly risky time, since there is a temporal gap between the onset of puberty, during which adolescents are highly thrill seeking, and the slow maturation of the cognitive-control systems that govern such behavior in adulthood (Steinberg, 2007). If you checked 10, 11, or 12 of the items, you are probably somewhere in between on sensation seeking. Anxiety would lead to sensation seeking. Sensation seeking scores from the SSS have been linked to many risk-taking behavioural expressions. (pp. Risk is not an essential part of the trait, as many activities associated with it are not risky. Zuckerman created the scale with the purpose of better understanding personality traits such as neuroticism, antisocial behavior, and psychopathy. Have questions or comments? Sensation seeking can be defined as “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” (Zuckerman, 1994, p. 27). The SSS-V measures an individual’s optimal level of stimulation, or sensation-seeking tendencies (Zuckerman, Eysenck, & Eysenck, 1978). Likewise, Following the “brainwashing” techniques used by the Chinese during the Korean War, the Canadian government pursued research on sensory deprivation, work led by D. O. Hebb. The temperature was an invigorating -15 o F. Sensation seeking should not be confused with being reckless. The contents of this website and the self-tests it contains are not meant to diagnose or exclude the diagnosis of any condition. Washington’s alpine garden (NH) in winter (top left) and above the clouds on Mt. His theory, which exemplifies a complex and interdisciplinary approach to the sensation seeking ten- FIGURE 3.6. 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