Sigmund Freud’s theory suggests that an individual’s personality is determined by many forces beyond their conscious awareness. Their behavior patterns can be traced back to their childhood experiences.
Today, the psychodynamic theory has been developed into various theories touching on an individual’s personality and development. According to Freud’s theory, a person’s gambling behavior is controlled by the subconscious mind. It is tied to the person’s identity, ego, and superego.
The different forms of online gambling
Online gambling takes different forms, such as mobile phone gambling, internet, and sports betting. It includes various types of betting, such as poker, slot, and casino games. Players have access to a wider range of games, live streams, and better visuals. Online gamblers have almost similar psychological experiences just like in land-based casinos.
Developing the personality psyche
Sigmund Freud’s life revolved around studying human behavior and the main factors that affect psychological responses. He defined psychodynamics as the brain’s energy. He observed that an individual undergoes various conflicts and has different interests they might not even be aware of.
To understand better why people behave in certain patterns, a person needs to decode their subconscious minds. The subconscious mind affects an individual’s self-esteem, fear, mood, and anxiety. Based on their present feelings, they develop different defense mechanisms.
Psychodynamics of gambling
According to Freud’s theory, the personality structure is tied into three main parts. The id controls the feeling of pleasure and gratification depending on the surrounding circumstances. The ego part controls how an individual controls their experiences with the external world. The superego controls both the subconscious and conscious mind.
An individual may prefer drinking while gambling because that’s how they find the best pleasure. Another person will find pleasure when they listen to the noise of coins as they spin the slot machine. The thought of winning makes them feel excited, and they could place higher bets or bet many times.
If an individual grew up in an environment where they saw people gambling often, they will easily pick that trait and become consistent gamblers in adulthood. Another individual may become a gambler because they were raised in poverty. Since they fear living in poverty, they try every way to make sure they have enough supply of income in their lives.
A person’s ego is central in recording their achievements, rewards, or punishments. Their mind develops resistance to punishments and is attracted to repeating an action that produces a reward. This is one of the effects that leads to compulsive gambling. It is because the person received rewards in terms of winning bets or almost winning a large amount of money. Casinos use the psychology of rewards in their advertising to attract more customers.
