How much is enough?

How much does it takes to soothe us? Of course, this varies from person to person.

Like most aspects of psychology, this comes down to questions about "nature and nurture".

We each are born with genetic predispositions that we inherit from our parents and their parents regarding intelligence, hair color, height, and health.

When it comes to health, we are more or less likely to develop cancer, have heart problems, or be vulnerable to addiction, or compulsive behavior. Those of us with addiction in our genetic makeup are apparently more likely to struggle with it in our own lives.

One simple way to determine our vulnerability to addiction is to take a look at our parents and grandparents. For instance, how much and how often did they consume alcohol? Did they have problems with gambling, infidelity, or workaholism?

If we are predisposed to compulsivity, it's also likely that we'll easily build a tolerance to most self-soothing techniques. The amount, or frequency that might work for others may not be, or remain enough for us.

My website: www.resolutioncounseling.org