Psychology of Addiction

A model of addiction can be viewed as a foundation from which to organize addiction into a set of fundamental intuitive principles. As such, any model allows its adherents to prioritize problems and to search for and discover solutions to these problems within the context or boundary conditions of the model. In recent years, the fields of psychology, social work, and counseling have all begun adopting the biopsychosocial perspective in research.

The biopsychosocial model, unlike traditional models of addiction, is atheoretical in that it does not attempt to explain the causality of addiction. However, this model presents a holistic, systems approach and identifies the influence as well as interaction of various dimensions of the biological, social, psychological, spiritual, and cultural environment on the individual. According to the Addictions Foundations of Manitoba (AFM), the etiology of addiction is complex, variable, and multifactorial. The AFM believes that addictive behaviors and experiences arise from complex and ongoing interactions between various biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors. It also believes that the combinations, interactions, and weightings of specific factors will be different for different individuals.

Biological Factors

According to the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, addiction has biological components including major involvement of the brain. As a result, a number of predisposed characteristics can lay the framework before the use of addictive substances. Additional biological factors related to addiction include genetic components in the etiology of addiction as well as the inevitable physical problems that arise due to addiction. According to Kumpfer and colleagues, the biopsychosocial model includes three clusters of biological variables: (1) genetic inheritance of different alcoholism syndromes (milieu-limited, depression-sensitive), differences in metabolism and reactions to alcohol and other drugs, biochemical and neurological vulnerabilities, and temperament or cognitive structural differences; (2) in utero damage to the fetus that results in central or autonomie nervous system problems and/or physical and biochemical damage that makes a child temperamentally or psychologically more vulnerable to alcohol or drug use; and (3) temperament or other physiological differences that can occur at any time after birth due to sickness, accidents, physical trauma, improper diet, exposure to toxins, or alcohol or drug use.

Psychological Factors

The psychological dimension of addiction explores the thinking that leads a person to engage in substance use in ways that compromise psychological and physical health. Additionally, this dimension examines how addictive behavior affects the psychology of individuals. According to proponents of social learning and cognitive behavioral models, individuals with irrational or unhealthy thought processes often use and abuse substances to cope with existing psychological problems such as depression, self-esteem, life Stressors, anxiety, or all of these.

Social Factors

The social component in addiction relates to the setting where substance use takes place as well as where the impact is felt. Related social factors can be categorized into family, peers and social, and community and school. Family variables include family attitudes and values, which interact with family Stressors (e.g., conflict, poverty, parent or sibling use of drugs). Peer and social variables includes peer attitudes and values toward prosocial activities and alcohol ...