Addiction is the fact or condition of being addicted to a particular substance, thing or activity.
Merriam-Webster dictionary defines it as a compulsive, chronic, physiological or psychological need for a habit-forming substance behaviour, or activity having harmful physical, psychological, or social effects and typically causing well-defined symptoms (such as anxiety, irritability, tremors, or nausea) upon withdrawal or abstinence: the state of being addicted. It also describes it as a strong inclination to do, use, or indulge in something repeatedly.
Considering the definitions, the phrase, “positive addiction” may sound oxymoronic to the ears but I would rather take it as an emphasis. This is because in most cases, when we hear the word “addiction” most people think of hard drugs. This is understandable given the hazardous effects of hard drugs.
But then, apart from the negative meaning, the word could also mean something positive.
The term “positive addiction” was advanced by William Glasser whose focus is primarily the activities of drumming and meditating. He also offers many oyer examples from the experiences of others. He claims that positive addictions “strengthen us and make our lives more satisfying.” They also enable us to “live with more confidence, more creativity, and more happiness, and usually in much better health.”
Positive addictions, unlike their negative cousins, enhance life!
Glasser provides six criteria tat must be fulfilled for a person to have a positive addiction to an activity. They are:
1. It is something noncompetitive that you choose to do and you can devote approximately an hour per day.
2. It is possible for you to do it easily and it doesn’t take a good deal of mental effort to do it well.
3. You can do it alone or rarely with others but it does not depend upon others to do it.
4. You believe it has some value (physical, mental or spiritual) for you.
5. You believe that if you persist at it you will improve – but this is completely subjective – you need to be the only one who measures the improvement.
6. The activity must have the quality that you can do it without criticizing yourself. If you can’t accept yourself during this time the activity will not be addicting.
There’s nothing wrong in a person’s identifying healthy and fun behaviours as pleasant and improving the quality of one’s life. The more people identify these activities, the better Gasser’s criteria provide a good way to distinguish healthy and pleasant activities from ones that are not. It provides people a way to assess the activities that contribute to a healthy and happy life and jettison those that do not.
Source: Psychology Today
