Compulsive nature could trigger self-destruction

Study finds compulsive individuals make choices that harm them due to failure in linking consequences with actions

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A person's compulsive nature could be the reason why such individuals indulge in self-destructive behaviour, making harmful choices despite knowing the obvious negative outcomes, according to a new study.

The study also found that making compulsive decisions did not appear to be random mistakes or people having "bad days."

"They're stable traits — almost like personality types. This is not to say they're fixed, just that they may require (an) intervention to break," said lead researcher Philip Jean-Richard Dit Bressel, a behavioural neuroscientist and experimental psychologist at the University of New South Wales.

Researchers said self-sabotaging choices do not arise out of a lack of motivation or capacity — rather from a subtle, yet persistent failure to connect their actions with consequences.