possessed by (something)
Obsessively motivated or driven by something. He has always been possessed by a need to be the center of attention, which is why he is playing those stupid pranks all the time. Because he grew up in such poverty, my father was possessed by a desire to be wealthy.
*possessed by something
obsessed or driven by something. (*Typically: be ~; become ~.) Ned was possessed by a desire to become the best at everything he did. Jan acts as if she is possessed by the need to be right all the time.
possessed by
Driven by, obsessed with, as in He was possessed by the idea of becoming a millionaire. This idiom employs possess in the sense of "dominate one's thoughts or ideas," a usage dating from the late 1500s.