Behavioural addictions and flow outcomes of the dual process of passion and needs

Introduction: The Dualistic Model of Passion, and Self-Determination Theory are two main approaches that have showed to be relevant to explain the motivational process in several context. Lalande et al. (2015) integrated the two approach showing that need satisfaction inside and outside the passionate activity predict harmonious and obsessive passion. The dual process of passion and psychological basic needs could provide a relevant context for the understanding of the dual opposite process of behavioural addictions and flow experience. The aim of this study is to extend previous studies examining both the satisfaction and the frustration of psychological basic needs inside and outside the passionate activity, in the prediction of the two form of passion, and examining the symptoms of behavioural addictions, and the flow experience as dual different consequences of harmonious and obsessive passion. Method: Two studies were conducted. In the first study the activity selected was playing videogames, while in study 2 using social networks as activity was used. All the participants had to conduct in a regular base the selected activity and completed questionnaires to asses: need satisfaction and frustration for general life, need satisfaction and frustration for the specific activity, harmonious and obsessive passion for the specific activity, addiction symptoms, and flow experience for the specific activity. Results: Results of the two studies have shown that overall need satisfaction and need frustration in general life predict respectively need satisfaction and frustration for the specific activity, and that in turn need satisfaction positively predict harmonious passion, while need frustration for the specific activity positively predict obsessive passion for the specific activity. Finally, harmonious passion positively predict the flow experience, while the obsessive passion positively predict the addiction symptoms for the specific activity. Discussion: The integration of Dualistic Model of Passion, and Self-Determination Theory could provide a relevant contribution in the understanding of the motivational process that could distinguee between a maladaptive pattern as Behavioural addictions and an adaptive pattern as the flow experience. A need satisfaction experience could develop an harmonious passion for an activity that could generate a flow, while need frustration could develop an obsessive passion for an activity that could generate in a behavioural addiction. In fact, although both flow and behavioural addiction are represented by and increment of hours spent in the activities, they could be considerate two different manifestation of an adaptive and of a maladaptive motivational process.