Sensation-Seeking and Delinquent Substance Use: An Extension of Learning Theory

Abstract

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 1,600 high school students responding to a survey conducted in 1991. We present analyses specific to drinking alcohol, getting drunk, tobacco use, use of marijuana or hash, and use of harder drugs to determine if factors common to a sensation-seeking perspective help explain both the prevalence and frequency of substance use among adolescents. Findings provide strong support for considering sensation-seeking variables like thrillseeking, immediate gratification, and impulsivity to help explain self-reported substance use. Our results show that for each of the five substance delinquencies examined, sensation-seeking factors generate statistically significant influences. Results point toward intrinsic rewards that initially promote and subsequently reinforce substance use, and which center on the fun, thrills, and excitement of risky, illegal substance use, and the physiological high generated by drug or alcohol use. Finally, the relevance of a sensation-seeking approach to social learning theory is explored.