The definition of addiction that I have learned is: ... any mood-altering event, substance, or thing that has life-damaging consequences.
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The set-up for addiction is any kind of abuse...be it physical, sexual, emotional, psychological.
Even subtle indifference on the part of a primary caregiver is abuse and can create the narcissistic wound that the addict attempts to heal via salvific (salvation) measures.
Borderline success (failure) of navigation through the rapprochement crisis during the separation-individuation phase of childhood can create the environment for later addictive behavior. The psych community claims that no one is totally successful in navigating this crisis - thus, we're all susceptible to addictions.
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Another point that I have learned: ...it's not what happened to us as children, but rather what our psyche does with it.
We come in with a certain "inclination" and the rest is based on how our particular psyche responds (reacts) to our "holding environment".
Therefore, each one of us is at the mercy of the particular character that our psyche develops.
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Sorry, couldn't help myself.
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Margaret Mahler - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Separation-Individuation Phase - The arrival of this phase marks the end of the Normal Symbiotic Phase. Separation refers to the development of limits, the differentiation between the infant and the mother, whereas individuation refers to the development of the infant's ego, sense of identity, and cognitive abilities. Mahler explains how a child with the age of a few months breaks out of an “autistic shell” into the world with human connections. This process, labeled separation-individuation, is divided into subphases, each with its own onset, outcomes and
risks. The following subphases proceed in this order but overlap considerably.
Rapprochement –15–24 months. In this subphase, the infant once again becomes close to the mother. The child realizes that his physical mobility demonstrates psychic separateness from his mother. The toddler may become tentative, wanting his mother to be in sight so that, through eye contact and action, he can explore his world. The
risk is that the mother will misread this need and respond with impatience or unavailability. This can lead to an anxious fear of abandonment in the toddler. A basic
‘mood predisposition’ may be established at this point. Rapprochement is divided into a few sub phases:
Beginning - Motivated by a desire to share discoveries with the mother.
Crisis - Between staying with the mother, being emotionally close and being more independent and exploring.
Solution - Individual solutions are enabled by the development of language and the superego.
Disruptions in the fundamental process of separation-individuation can result in a disturbance in the ability to maintain a reliable sense of individual identity in adulthood.[3]