Abstract
Background: Tattoos or stencils on the body have a special charm for the people of different cultures. The fact that such stencils are considered attractive and essential to some people from a specific culture has led to the conclusion that there might be factors which make tattooing attractive to someone. Objectives: The present study aimed to determine and compare behavioral activation system (BAS), behavioral inhibition system (BIS), and fight-or-flight system between tattooed and non-tattooed substance-dependent individuals. Methods: Using convenience sampling method, this study included 146 substance-dependent individuals (73 tattooed and 73 non-tattooed) referring to Baharan rehabilitation center in Zahedan, Iran. Data collection was done by the short form of the Gray–Wilson Personality Questionnaire (GWPQ), and data were analyzed by independent t-test. Results: According to the results of GWPQ, in BIS, in tattooed individuals, extinction and total scores of avoidance was significantly higher than non-tattooed. Meanwhile, there was no significant difference between BAS and fight-or-flight system. Conclusions: While BAS is associated with positive emotions, BIS is associated with negative emotions. The tattoo seems to be a sign of special personality characteristics and can be used as a way to extinction the emotions and avoiding to deal with pejorative emotions.