Drug Use in Adolescents

Introduction

Drug abuse among younger people has been a debate that has generated heated responses from people all around the world. Since it is a universal concern it peaks the interest of parents, students, professors and scholars alike. In this paper, I will be examining Johnathan Shedler and Jack Block's study of Adolescent drug use and psychological health, so that I am able to make an informed analysis of the topic at hand. Not only this, I will be analyzing the opposing ideas to this particular article in order to know more about the varied scholarly opinions about drug use in adolescents, and whether or not it is acceptable to some extent or not at all.

Discussion

Media representation of drug use among the younger generation has undoubtedly played a part in opening peoples eyes, who may have been ignorant of this fact. In the above mentioned article, the authors suggest that among drug users, there are certain patterns that may even be traced back to early childhood. They suggest that the way that a child has been bought up may be conducive to their later habits, which may include drug use as well. In their research findings, the authors have been able to conclude that earlier drug use may be caused by a personal or social adjustment, in the sense that peer pressure or new environments always pressure adolescents into behaving in ways they normally wouldn't. They also iterate that the drug use could be understood through an individuals personality structure and its context alone, as well as development history that may vary from person to person. Not everyone has the same background; hence the author's analysis may have been succinct for the time. Block and Shedler also agree that there is an immediate need for coping with drug problems among the youth, as well as a need for understanding the factors affecting its usage and how to curb it. There have been several attempts to research the human mind and its psychological capacities, why it retreats to drugs as a form of escape when pressures increase, or whether it is a form of conformity to peer pressure and other societal norms that seem to label people according to their drug habits.

According to the data analysis provided in the paper by Shelder and Block, the use of drugs may not always correlate with psychological disturbances. There is an assumption in experimentation for these causes that atleast some form of the human behavior that is led to drugs is psychologically altered but that may not always be the case, as those who make regular use of drugs may not particularly need it to function in everyday life. Experimentation is one aspect of it and usually lasts for a small amount of time through teenage years or possibly a few years after but generally, for occasional experimentation there are no psychological afflictions diagnosed. But those who see drugs as a means of escape and are in regular view of drugs are ...