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AQA A-Level Psychology > Addiction > Flashcards

Addiction Flashcards

1
Q

Defining Addiction:
Name the four terms of addiction

A

Physical dependence
Psychological dependence
Tolerance
Withdrawal

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2
Q

Defining Addiction:
Outline Physical dependence

A
  • 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
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3
Q

Defining Addiction:
Outline Psychological dependence

A
  • 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
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4
Q

Defining Addiction:
Outline Tolerance

A
  • 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
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5
Q

Defining Addiction:
Outline Withdrawal

A
  • 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)
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6
Q

Risk Factors of Addiction:
Name the five risk factors

A

personality
stress
peer groups
genetic influences
family influences

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7
Q

Risk Factors of Addiction - Personality:
Name Eysenck’s 1967 super traits of addictive personalities

A

Extraversion
Neuroticism
Psychoticism

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8
Q

Risk Factors of Addiction - Personality:
Outline extraversion as a personality risk factor of addiciton

A

extraverts are chronically under aroused and therefore take addictive substances so stimulate themselves

explains why extraverts also spend more time with others

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9
Q

Risk Factors of Addiction - Personality:
Outline Neuroticism as a personality risk factor of addiction

A

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

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10
Q

Risk Factors of Addiction - Personality:
Outline Psychoticism as a personality risk factor of addiction

A

psychotics experience sensation-seeking impulsivity and emotional detachment. they are more likely to turn to addictive substances in order to feed their impulsivity

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11
Q

Risk Factors of Addiction - Personality:
Outline Antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) as a personality risk factor of addiction

A
  • high level of risk taking
  • prefer immediate gratification instead of long-term goals (id dominant)
  • generally lead chaotic lives
  • impulsive
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12
Q

Risk Factors of Addiction - Personality:
give evaluations for personality as a risk factor of addiction

A
  • 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
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13
Q

Risk Factors of Addiction - Stress:
Outline Hardiness as a stress risk factor of addiction

A

the extent to which you can endure difficult conditions

the more hardiness you have, the less likely you are to become addicted

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14
Q

Risk Factors of Addiction - Stress:
Outline research into hardiness

A

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

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15
Q

Risk Factors of Addiction - Stress:
Outline research into the effect of trauma on addiction as a form of stress

A

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

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16
Q

Risk Factors of Addiction - Stress:
give evaluations for stress as a risk factor of addiction

A
  • 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
17
Q

Risk Factors of Addiction - Peer Groups:
Outline the social identity theory (SIT) as a peer group risk factor of addiction

A

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

18
Q

Risk Factors of Addiction - Peer Groups:
Outline research into adolescents and the effect of peer groups on addiction

A

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’
19
Q

Risk Factors of Addiction - Peer Groups:
give evaluations for peer groups as a risk factor of addiction

A
  • 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
20
Q

Risk Factors of Addiction - Genetic Influence:
Outline how genetics may influence the likelihood of an individual developing an addiction

A

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

21
Q

Risk Factors of Addiction - Genetic Influence:

A

AQA A-Level Psychology (12 decks)

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