Psychology of Addiction - Essay Example

Addiction is an issue that faces a great many individuals within the current world. However, there is no clear consensus with respect to the causes of addiction or what elements of addiction can be ameliorated in what ways. As such, one of the oldest debates that exist within the realm of psychology and psychological research is whether or not environment or heredity is the most determinant factor in helping to define and decide the way in which human individuality is evidenced. Although this debate has been raging for well over 150 years, advancements in psychology and psychological research have ultimately only added fuel to the fire and provided arguments for and against each approach (Verster et al., 2012). Within such an understanding and definition, the reader can come to an appreciable level of understanding that realizing the effect that individual genes have upon defining and explicating a degree of future probability and predisposition is a vital component of understanding human psychology to a more actionable degree. However, the impact of genes notwithstanding, addiction has definitively been defined as either affecting an individual physically or affecting them psychologically; or affecting them in both ways (Isorna et al., 2010). As a function of this level of realization, the following analysis will deal with addiction from both its hereditary standpoint as well as the psychological elements that factor into it. Firstly, scientists have recently been introduced to the possibility that genetic predisposition can have a powerful impact upon the propensity of an individual to be addicted to any particular substance (Kausar & Kiani, 2011). This genetic predisposition, and the potential existence thereof, is with regards to fact that an increased chance of addiction exists; not a predetermined assumption that addiction will be evidenced within the life of the individual. For those stakeholders that face an increased risk of addiction as a result of hereditary factors, the medical community has most commonly approached this problem from the standpoint of drug intervention and other pharmacological means of engagement with the patient (Hostetler & Ryabinin, 2012). Whereas it is true that counseling and other forms of non-chemical intervention are applied in these cases, the overall potential for these interventions to succeed in such cases is drastically diminished as compared to those cases in which psychological addiction is evidenced. Comparatively, psychological addiction is somewhat more complex. Oftentimes born out of psychological trauma or difficulties in developmental stages, psychological addiction is a form of addiction that mostly requires non-pharmaceutical forms of intervention (Zimić & Jukić, 2012). Rather than merely throwing a cocktail of drugs at each and every patient, the healthcare professionals must first determine what form of addiction they are dealing with and then determine which approach is the most applicable for dealing with the situation at hand. More importantly, such an approach is more firmly rooted in the verifiable sciences. Rather than relying on a set of moral dictums to provide evidence for a certain world view or belief system, this particular argument works to prove the biological nature of addiction as a function of how the brain physiologically changes as a result of prolonged usage/addiction. In this way, the reader is brought to a full understanding of the fact that willpower alone is oftentimes not sufficient to change the drug abuser (Frisher, 2010). It is important to note that this is not to say that the drug user is somehow inhuman and beyond help (Ludwig, 2012). There doubtless are many cases in which the drug user has come to a sense of realization and has decided that they must put away drugs in order to preserve their own life and happiness (as well as the life and happiness of their family and loved ones). Unfortunately, this is not the norm. Rather, addiction is usually typified by a selfish need/satisfaction matrix. Rather than being aware of basic human emotions that are driven by a sense of shame and the need to use willpower over an issue in order to fix it, the user/abuser oftentimes is completely unaware of such logic as they are chemically bound to seeking the next high. As such, any across the board statements with relation to how the individual should simply realize that they are dependent and exert a sense of willpower over the vice as a means of bettering their own life is patently short-sighted. In this way, a more complete and differentiated approach to dealing with and understanding drug abuse is necessary to work to assuage the problem. First and foremost, what the reader should come away with as a result of the preceding analysis is an understanding of the fact that regardless of the genetic indicators that predispose an individual to a particular behavioral action, such an action is never guaranteed. Environment continues to have a powerful and active role in determining whether or not these behavioral predispositions will ever be realized (Obembe, 2012). As such, seeking to put too much of an emphasis upon the genetic factors as a means of identifying whether or not an individual will act in a certain way can oftentimes yield incorrect results (Cruts et al., 2008). By very nature, humans seek to reduce each and every situation or issue to its least common denominator. As science advances to delineate the means by which these genetic markers can impact upon the lives of the individuals in question, it will very likely be the case that a very broad range of genetic markers are at least partially responsible for some of the behaviors that are noted; however, that being said, the inherent danger then becomes living in a society or a medical community that seeks to diminish the role of personal choice and/or personal responsibility can play in determining behavior and actions (Murray, 2013). Finally, from the evidence that has been presented, the reader can gain an actionable understanding for the fact that psychological addiction is not only evidenced with respect to substance abuse; it can be evidenced in a number of other behaviors as well. By seeking to understanding and define substance abuse in terms of genetic/physical addiction and psychological addiction, the researcher can come to understand the greater shades of meaning. References Cruts, G., Buster, M., Vicente, J., Deerenberg, I., & Van Laar, M. (2008). Estimating the Total Mortality Among Problem Drug Users.Substance Use & Misuse, 43(5), 733-747. doi:10.1080/10826080701202643 Frisher, M. (2010). The science and politics of cannabis, drugs and schizophrenia - Commentary on: Cannabis causes schizophrenia? So does nicotine. Addiction Research & Theory, 18(6), 609-611. doi:10.3109/16066359.2010.490001 Hostetler, C., & Ryabinin, A. (2012, November). Love and addiction: the devil is in the differences: a commentary on The behavioral, anatomical and pharmacological parallels between social attachment, love and addiction.. Psychopharmacology. pp. 27-29. doi:10.1007/s00213-012-2858-y. Isorna, M., Fernández-Ríos, L., & Souto, A. (2010). TREATMENT OF DRUG ADDICTION AND PSYCHOPATHOLOGY: A FIELD STUDY. European Journal Of Psychology Applied To Legal Context, 2(1), 3-18. Kausar, N., & Kiani, A. (2011). AN EMPIRICAL STUDY OF PREVALENT RATIO OF DRUG ADDICTION AMONG THE STUDENTS AT HIGHER SECONDARY LEVEL. International Journal Of Academic Research, 3(1), 645-651. Ludwig, E., (2012). Patterns of pre-treatment drug abuse, drug treatment history and characteristics of addicts in methadone maintenance treatment in Iran. Harm Reduction Journal, 9(1), 18-24. doi:10.1186/1477-7517-9-18. Murray, P. (2013). In Need of a Fix: Reforming Criminal Law in Light of a Contemporary Understanding of Drug Addiction. UCLA Law Review, 60(4), 1006-1044. Obembe, S. B. (2012). Practical skills and clinical management of alcoholism and drug addiction. Amsterdam Netherlands: Elsevier. Verster, J. C., Brady, K., Galanter, M., & Conrod, P. (2012). Drug abuse and addiction in medical illness: Causes, consequences and treatment. New York, NY US: Springer Science + Business Media. doi:10.1007/978-1-4614-3375-0. Zimić, J., & Jukić, V. (2012). Familial Risk Factors Favoring Drug Addiction Onset. Journal Of Psychoactive Drugs, 44(2), 173-185. doi:10.1080/02791072.2012.685408 Read More