DIMENSIONS OF SELF-CONCEPT - A COMPARISON OF HEROIN AND COCAINE ADDICTS

Two groups of drug users on an inner-city inpatient drug detoxificatio n unit were studied: 42 heroin addicts and 47 cocaine addicts. The two groups were compared on personality disorder diagnoses, personality t raits, and demographic variables. Cocaine and heroin addicts scored si milarly on: 1) number and kind of personality disorder diagnoses, with the exception of antisocial personality; 2) all personality traits me asured; 3) positive and negative temperament; 4) description of self-c oncepts; and 5) positivity and negativity of self-concepts. It was als o found that heroin addicts showed significantly higher levels of soci al deviance than the cocaine group, with significantly more antisocial personality disorder diagnoses, higher levels of social deviance, and lower scores on a Propriety Scale. Character pathology was more heter ogeneous among cocaine users. Heroin addicts had used significantly lo nger and showed less educational and occupational achievement than the cocaine group. Our results also suggest that personality psychopathol ogy in drug addicts is associated with lower self-esteem, more negativ e self-valuation, and longer duration of use.