Defining Addiction:
Name the four terms of addiction
Physical dependence
Psychological dependence
Tolerance
Withdrawal
Defining Addiction:
Outline Physical dependence
- when your body becomes dependent on a substance for survival due to regular use over a long period of time
- marked by unpleasant physical withdrawal symptoms. namely Delirium Tremors (DTs) with alcohol cessation.
- DTs occur due to rapid discontinuation - these can kill you
- normal day to day activities can become dependent. e.g. you must have coffee to wake up
- often accompanied by tolerance - increased doses
Defining Addiction:
Outline Psychological dependence
- substance is required to satisfy intense mental and emotional cravings
- individuals feel they cannot cope with work or social life without the substance
- absence of the substance causes individuals to feel anxious, irritable, depressed and experience cravings.
- the addiction is in the mind and therefore becomes the central focus of the persons life
Defining Addiction:
Outline Tolerance
- diminishing effect due to regular use of the same dose of the substance. results in you constantly increasing the dosage
- 3 ways in which tolerance builds: metabolic tolerance - enzymes become more effective at breaking down the substance, neuroadaptation - receptors at synapses become less sensitive or fewer in number. learned - result of practise as you learn to function normally whilst under the influence
Defining Addiction:
Outline Withdrawal
- unpleasant physical and/or psychological effects following discontinuation
- symptoms involve shakes, tremors, vomiting, bp/heart rate change etc
- severity of symptoms often leads to relapse
- 2 types of withdrawal: acute - happens within hours or weeks. post acute withdrawal - brain slowly reorganises and balances (could take months or years)
Risk Factors of Addiction:
Name the five risk factors
personality
stress
peer groups
genetic influences
family influences
Risk Factors of Addiction - Personality:
Name Eysenck’s 1967 super traits of addictive personalities
Extraversion
Neuroticism
Psychoticism
Risk Factors of Addiction - Personality:
Outline extraversion as a personality risk factor of addiciton
extraverts are chronically under aroused and therefore take addictive substances so stimulate themselves
explains why extraverts also spend more time with others
Risk Factors of Addiction - Personality:
Outline Neuroticism as a personality risk factor of addiction
neurotics have low emotional stability and experience more negative feelings such as anxiety and depression. they are then more prone to addictive substances to try and counteract these feelings
they also have low stress tolerance so are more likely to become addicted
Risk Factors of Addiction - Personality:
Outline Psychoticism as a personality risk factor of addiction
psychotics experience sensation-seeking impulsivity and emotional detachment. they are more likely to turn to addictive substances in order to feed their impulsivity
Risk Factors of Addiction - Personality:
Outline Antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) as a personality risk factor of addiction
- high level of risk taking
- prefer immediate gratification instead of long-term goals (id dominant)
- generally lead chaotic lives
- impulsive
Risk Factors of Addiction - Personality:
give evaluations for personality as a risk factor of addiction
- cause and effect issue - no knowledge of whether personality traits cause addiction or if addiction causes the development of personality traits
- explains individual differences and differing addictions
- research support - Vernheul et al (1995) found 44% of alcoholics, 70% of cocaine addicts and 79% of opiate addicts had personality disorders
Risk Factors of Addiction - Stress:
Outline Hardiness as a stress risk factor of addiction
the extent to which you can endure difficult conditions
the more hardiness you have, the less likely you are to become addicted
Risk Factors of Addiction - Stress:
Outline research into hardiness
Kobasa (1979) outlined 3 factors for hardiness:
commitment (purpose)
control (iLoC)
challenge - see addiction as a challenge to be beat/avoid father than an illness
Risk Factors of Addiction - Stress:
Outline research into the effect of trauma on addiction as a form of stress
Driessen et al found that traumatic events exposed individuals to addiction
30% of drug addicts and 15% of alcoholics had some form of early trauma in their lives
not 100% - not a complete explaination
Risk Factors of Addiction - Stress:
give evaluations for stress as a risk factor of addiction
- research support - Driessen et al
- cause and effect issue - does stress cause addiction or does addiction cause stress
- explains individual differences - different types of stress lead to different types of addictions
- practical applications - therapy used to teach people how to cope with stress and how to make them more hardy
Risk Factors of Addiction - Peer Groups:
Outline the social identity theory (SIT) as a peer group risk factor of addiction
Tajfel 1970
our social identity is gained through being members of ingroups, which hold norms and behaviours central to the group
If you are a part of a group which takes part in addictive substances, you are more likely to also take the addictive substances, and therefore more likely to become addicted
Risk Factors of Addiction - Peer Groups:
Outline research into adolescents and the effect of peer groups on addiction
O’Connell (2009):
- an at-risk adolescents attitudes and norms are influences by associating with peers who share the same behaviour
- experienced peers provide more opportunity for at-risk people to participate in certain behaviours
- at-risk people overestimate how much their experienced peers participate in the behaviour and therefore over participate themselves to ‘catch up’
Risk Factors of Addiction - Peer Groups:
give evaluations for peer groups as a risk factor of addiction
- research support - O’Connell
- practical applications - social norm interventions
- age is a primary factor - more support can be given to those at prime age for manipulation by experienced peers to avoid addictions
Risk Factors of Addiction - Genetic Influence:
Outline how genetics may influence the likelihood of an individual developing an addiction
some people without a genetic vulnerability to a substance may need to have larger doses with greater consistency in order to develop an addiction whereas those with a genetic vulnerability are more likely to develop an addiction upon the first dose
Risk Factors of Addiction - Genetic Influence:
Outline research for an inherited cause of addiction
Comings et al 1996 found pathological gamblers may inherit a faulty A1 DRD2 gene
this reduced the number of dopamine receptors in our pleasure centres within the limbic system, making you less sensitive to rewards - seek out extra stimulating activities
Risk Factors of Addiction - Genetic Influence:
Outline the reward deficiency syndrome
Blum et al 1996 outlines how this creates genetic vulnerabilities in many compulsive disorders
69% of alcohol dependent users and 51% of cocaine dependent users had this genetic variant
Rick Factors of Addiction - Genetic Influence:
give evaluations for genetic influence as a risk factor of addiction
- research support - Blum et al, Comings et al
- biologically reductionist
- biologically determinist - no free will - destined to become addicted
- no 100% concordance rate - only partial explanation as not fully biological
Risk Factors of Addiction - Family Influence:
Outline the term exposure in regards to family influence on addiction
if addictions or addictive behaviour is a common feature of your household or family, you are more likely to copy that behaviour. therefore more likely to become addicted
