Reducing Addicting Using Behavioural Interventions - Aversion and Covert

Question 1

Outline aversion therapy as a behavioural intervention to reduce an addiction (6 marks)

Answer 1

The aim of the aversion therapy is that the pleasurable association with the addictive substance or behaviour has to be broken down and replaced with a negative association in a vivo experience. This works for a nicotine addiction as rapid smoking is where the addict takes a puff of a cigarette every six seconds, which makes them sick which they associate with smoking so they avoid cigarettes. Also, this works for a gambling addiction as gamblers write down the words and phrases that link to their gambling behaviour. When they read each card out they receive a two second electric shock so they learn to associate these words with pain rather than pleasure - so avoid gambling, reducing addiction.

Question 2

Outline covert sensitisation (6 marks)

Answer 2

Covert sensitisation therapy aims to break down the pleasurable association with the addictive substance or behaviour and replace with a negative association in a vitro experience. For a nicotine addiction, the client is encouraged to relax. The therapist reads from a script and asks the client to imagine an unpleasant situation connected to smoking such as vomiting after smoking. They try to create a vivid image including the smells or sounds. Towards the end of the session they imagine what it would be like not to smoke which provides feelings of relief so they avoid the addictive behaviour or substance in the future. The participant associates the addiction with the unpleasant scenario, rather than pleasure, therefore reducing addiction.

Question 3

Discuss behavioural interventions as a way to reduce addiction (3 X AO3)

Answer 3

Research to support the effectiveness of behavioural interventions at reducing gambling addiction was conducted by McConaghy et al. They compared electric shock aversion therapy with covert sensitisation in treating gambling addiction. It was found that in a one year follow up; those who had received covert sensitisation were significantly more likely to have reduced their gambling activities. Therefore, suggesting covert sensitisation is more effective behavioural intervention for treating gambling addiction compared to aversion therapy.

Moreover, some may question how ethical aversion therapy is as a method of reducing addiction. It is thought that aversion therapy such as rapid smoking, electric shock therapy and Antabuse could cause physical and psychological harm such as making the person physically sick or giving them electric shocks. For this reason, covert sensitisation may be more appropriate as the therapy is carried out in a vitro experience, potentially reducing any physical or psychological harm, suggesting covert sensitisation may be more appropriate than aversion therapy at reducing addiction.

However, a weakness of behavioural interventions, both covert sensitisation and aversion therapy, in reducing addiction is that they require motivation and commitment from the patient. This is because the patient has to commit to attending sessions and work with the therapist to unlearn their addictive behaviour whilst placing themselves in aversive situations such as felling sick or receiving electric shocks unlike drug therapy which requires less commitment and motivation as the patient is only required to take a tablet or wear a nicotine patch/have gum in order to reduce their addiction. Due to this, individuals may drop out of behavioural intervention therapies, thus reducing their effectiveness as a method of reducing addiction.