Are You Addicted To Training?

[Barkadion]

Addition? Not in the strict sense used by psychologists, at least not in my case.

A habit? Literally a habitual tendency? Something like a second nature? Definitely. I'm with Aristotle on this one: a habit that moves you away from what is good for you is a vice, and a habit that moves you toward what is good for you is a virtue. Your training habit could go either way. If it interferes with higher goods (family, faith, profession) or causes you to be reckless with your body, then it's a vice. If your training is something you can manager around your more important commitments and doesn't do your body undue harm while also making your a more capable, satisfied, and interesting human being, then it's a virtue.

Thank you J-Madd. I always enjoy your responds. I do enjoy the way you structure them as well. So, you start with admitting existence of strict psychological sense. Good

Let me return the favor with another famous quote from Nietzsche: “That which does not kill us, makes us stronger.” And what makes this incredible that it can be read backwards. Basically, you need to get stronger in order not to get killed. So, primal fear of death comes knocking as a motto. Isn't it what addiction doing to us? Buys us some time, gives us an illusion? And illusion of immortality is the strongest one

[Barkadion]

This reminds me of a similar discussion I had on a different topic with a client. Namely, "what are the drivers of your actions"?

What differentiates a habit and an obsession would, IMO, be dependent on what drives or motivates you.

I would say something is a habit, no matter how religiously or stringently you stick to that habit if:

1. You have a definable objective to work towards or maintain
2. You are driven by a quantifiable end goal that is not a moving goal post
3. Changes in this end goal would be driven by external circumstances / definitions and not emotions

In contrast; an obsession / addiction can be identified if:

1. There is no end goal
2. You are driven by emotions
3. Your end goal is driven internally, not by external circumstances.

Situations like the following would probably be training-addiction:
1. I gotta train or ima gonna lose mah gains
2. Gotta keep the pump up
3. Can't be slower than the other guys on the track
4. Need to shave another 5 seconds off my 10km run because I just can!

I would probably wager that your internal driver/motivations influences your attitudes which determines your behaviour. Everything else would probably stem from that.

Sounds like Freud's basic model of the mind. So, Ego mediates between internal drives and perceptions of external reality.. yada yada yada. Next steps are neurosis and addiction/habit