ABSTRACT
Sensation seeking is a biologically based personality trait “defined by the need for varied, novel and complex sensations and experiences, and the willingness to take physical and social risks (Zuckerman, 1979, p. 10). It is conceptually rooted in theories of arousal (Finn, 1992). People approach or avoid experiences felt to have high arousal potential (Zuckerman, 1979). Sensation seeking is characterized by wanting novelty and risk taking. It correlates with participating in risky behaviors. Sensation seekers aim to fulfill their needs for sensation, and seek arousing behaviors and activities to reach optimal levels of arousal. In distinguishing between high and low sensation seekers, Zuckerman (1988) observed, “The high sensation seeker is receptive to novel stimuli; the low tends to reject them, preferring the more familiar and less complex” (pp. 181-182).
