Despite that many little girls
are indoctrinated with stories about prince charming, the “need” to find a
partner is not gender specific. Society programs us to find that special
someone and we’re inundated with messages that conflict and drama equal passion
and love. But, what is drama addiction in a romantic relationship?
In short, drama addiction is
exactly what it says … addiction to drama. And like any other addictions, it
involves a craving and compulsion. In the case of drama addiction with love, the
behavior of the drama addict is an overreaction to any situation in which the
addicted person perceives to have been slighted by their partner.
We’ve all witnessed this type of
behavior in teens. Jack sees his girlfriend Becky chatting with another guy and
in Jack’s mind, Becky MUST be interested in the other guy. Or perhaps it’s
Becky who witnesses Jack exchanging pleasantries with a classmate and boom …
drama! We can give a bit of latitude with teens because they’re still
developing, but it’s a completely different issue when the drama follows into
adulthood.
Ultimately, the adult drama
addict is driven by deep-seeded insecurities. They are unhappy with themselves
and must have control over every aspect of their world with a very specific
focus on their partner’s life. They need to know everything that’s going on in
their partner’s world including work, friends and family. They need to judge
the people in their partner’s life. They need to be the go-to person regarding
everything that transpires in their partner’s world.
The bottom line is that the drama
addict must be the center of attention at all times. Veer from the drama
addict’s plan in anyway and what you will witness is a temper tantrum on the
scale of a two-year-old. Why does the drama addict act this way? Arrested
development! But, a break down of arrested development is a whole other beast.
Aside from the obvious unhealthy
issues within a relationship where one partner is addicted to drama, there is
often a sad scenario where the drama addict has found a sincere and loving
partner. For the drama addict, a sincere and loving partner can increase the
need for drama. The drama addict is literally uncomfortable experiencing
healthy love. As with any addiction, the addict must first recognize that there’s
a problem before they can get on the road to recovery.
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