Addiction.2

Addiction.2

1. COGNITIVE APPROACH

   • SMOKING
     • INITIATION: Expectancies that smoking will have postive effects on thier lives eg stress reduction, weight loss, improved mood. Have cognitive biases that minimalise negative effects, i can control it, use it as self medication. Does not have to solve the problem but be judged by addict to do so.
       • AO2: Brandon and Baker (1991) questionnaire, start because they are bored and will raise their mood
     • MAINTENANCE: because they have cognitive biases which emphasis the positive aspects and minimise the negatives.addicts have more positive reasons than negative.
       • AO2: Wills and Shiffman(1985) smokers said it helps with stress. however in reality smokers are more stressed than non smokers and stress levels decrease once quit.only reduces stress of withdrawal symptoms.
     • RELAPSE: once quit should begin to experience increased self- efficacy or mastery over their behaviour. high risk emotional states, situs or events can pose a threat and cause relapse.especially if they feel it has had negative effects eg weight gain, increased stress. relapse can be minimised if person understands beliefs about high risk situs and coping skills learnt, increasing self efficacy.
       • AO2: Tate (1984) Expectations can be manipulated to prevent relapse, researchers told smokers they should expect no negative symptoms, led to fewer reported withdrawal symptoms than a control group. if told likely to experience symptoms they reported more and severe symptoms
   • GAMBLING
     • INITIATION: Expectancy is important, g's emphasise the percieved positive effects eg finantial reward which could help them with their own lives.G's who misinterpret the cause of wins/loss, develop a belief system that they will be successful become more suseptable to problem G. Problem is due to irrational beliefs that the odds are not stacked up against them and tend to over estimate extent of skill can affect outcomes.
       • AO2: Griffiths (1995) young problem slot machine g's had greater beliefe in role of skill and giving overestimates of how much they'd win. however they start for many different reasons but some progress from social to preoccupation with winning and chasing losses.
     • MAINTENANCE: Beck describes it as a vicious circle, once initiated the cognitvie model proposes they expect G to improve mood. however, loosing money has the effect of further lowered mood, then believes only way to improve is to G again. Irrational cognitive biases maintain G, overestimating.
       • AO2: Griffiths (1994) reg g's showed a variety of cognitive biases to justify behaviour, saw themselves more skillful, made more irrational verbalisations, made more flexible attributions - loosing to other factors.
     • RELAPSE: once quite, increased slf efficacy over behaviour. high risk emotional states, situs, pose a threat and lead to relapse, especially if feel stopping has negative effects. relapse can be minimised by understanding persons beliefs about high risk situs, enhancing coping skilss, increasing self efficacy.
       • AO2: Cummings (1980) likely to relapse when experience negative emotions, 35% of all lapses had preceeded by negative mood, 16% following argument, 20% following social pressure.

2. RISK FACTORS

   • STRESS
     • Stressful life experiences, more vunerable to addiction/relapse. Self medication model- addictive habbits develop as a treatment for stress eg alcohol/nicotine.
     • AO2:Turner (2002) life changes-daily hassles, many problem G's endured unpleasant life experiences the year before addiction. Wills (2002) 1,364 teens, sig asso between higher life stress and smoking. however idividual differences, 2 types of alcoholics - bordom/tension
   • PERSONALITY
     • Eysenck(1997) addiction fufills a purpose related to personality type.  Neuroticism: negative emotions psychoticism: agg&impulsive Extraversion: underaroused
     • AO2: Support for relationship between dependance on alcohol ect snf higher than normal scores on neuroticism and psychoticism. 200 polydrug addicts - EPQ and found sig asso. however corrolational. Spanish adolecents 10-11, did EPQ, followed for 8 years, psychoticism best indicator of dependance.
   • PEERS
     • influence among strongest predictors of drug use during adolescence SLT: Bandura (1977) learnt through observation, vicarious reinforcement. peers important. Social identity threory: Abrams and Hogg(1990) identify themselves as part of a groupand increse self estem. smokers non smokers.
     • AO2: support for SLT: Bricker(2006) influence of peers and parents, 6006 ppts in USA, longitudinal. found peer smoking most influentialbut importance of family members attitudes.
   • AGE
     • positive correlation