The influence of affective addictions on future prospects:a self-assessment questionnaire

The "love addiction" is a behavioral addiction, according to the first articles published in the European Journal of Psychiatry, is "characterized by a misfit, pervasive and excessive interest towards the reference partner, with renunciation of other interests and other negative consequences". "Love addiction" is a form of behavioral addiction, according to the first articles published in the European Journal of Psychiatry, is "characterized by a maladjusted, pervasive and excessive interest towards the reference partner, with lack of control, renunciation of other interests and other negative consequences" (Fisher, 2016). A sort of vicious circle represented by the persistent search for closeness on the part of the companion/ a that indirectly exerts a strong control. This imperious need of the other, results in dysfunctional relational patterns, the loving feeling is replaced by submission to an obsessive relationship.A real "emotional loop", in which both people are enveloped, the dominant one that disguises addiction with the hidden use of oppression and control and the submissive one that annihilates for "love" of the partner. These maladaptive behaviors can be established at any age, they result in a self-destructive and unsatisfactory relationship, with emotive and cognitive contents incoercible. It can exert a strong influence on the ability to self-determination and on the construction of a career or study path. Although affective dependence is not recognized by DSM-5 as a specific diagnosis, it begins to increase data to support its characterization as a separate mental disorder. According to the characteristics emerged in the literature, a self-assessment questionnaire was proposed to identify traits attributable to a "love addiction". The target group consists of a total of 746 users aged 18 to 50. The results are not reassuring, a considerable portion has alarming features. Acquiring awareness of it, especially in the early stages, when the alienating dimension is not yet fully established, can prove very useful.