by Reid K. Hester, Ph.D.
Some people call these activities "extreme" sports, but I call them crazy death wishes. If anybody can supply me with a possible explanation to this question, it would greatly be appreciated.
The psychological and psychiatric manual (the Diagnostic and Statistic Manual of Mental Disorders, aka DSM) published by the American Psychiatric Association, Washington, DC, does not include a classification for adrenaline addiction or adrenaline 'junkie."
Nonetheless, the terminology has been commonplace for decades now. Physiologically, adrenalin affects everybody in pretty much the same way. Your heart races, your blood pressure increases, you're more alert, and your body is in what biologists call the "fight or flight" mode.
While the physiological experience is the same, how it is interpreted by different individuals varies tremendously. Some people interpret the "rush" you feel when adrenalin kicks in as positive and enjoyable. Others find it aversive. Your labeling "extreme sports" as 'death wishes' suggest you are in the latter camp.
Taking varying degrees of calculated risks is a part of life and some people have a greater level of risk that they are comfortable with. And they have the opportunity to get an adrenaline "rush."
Some research has also shown that babies who are deprived of oxygen at birth sometimes grow up to develop a higher need for stimulation. That is, they tend to be the high-risk-takers of the world. While our research strategies can't precisely say that the lack of oxygen at birth creates an adrenalin surge that the individual then continues to try and re-create, that is one theory that is being examined by some scientists.
It might be that for these people, the surge was so intense that it threw off the infant's early development. Much more research has to be completed before we will know if this theory holds any truth, but it is fascinating to note that there is a correlation between the two groups of people: those deprived of oxygen at birth and those who are higher-than-average risk takers in adulthood.
About the Author:
Reid K. Hester, Ph.D., Director, Research Division, Behavior Therapy Associates, 3810 Osuna Rd. NE Suite 1, Albuquerque, NM 87109. Phone: 505.345.6100.
Revised 8/17/08 by Marlene M. Maheu, Ph.D.
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