Briefly describe and critically evaluate one or more models of addictive behaviour.
Models of addictive behaviour aim to explain the initiation, maintenance and relapse of addictive behaviour. The Biological Model and The Cognitive Model are two that aim to do this.
The biological model describes addiction as being a disease and enforces the idea that the addiction can’t be reversed even with treatment. The model is seen as a reductionist approach in explaining addiction because of the ability to pin point specific causes and triggers that can lead to the development of an addiction. One biological cause described within the model is thought to be genetic predisposition. The National Institute of Drug Abuse carried out research which aimed to find a genetic link between identical and non-identical twins who are using, abusing or dependent on drugs such as cannabis. Results showed that the rate of addiction was higher in identical twins. However, when using twin studies, extraneous factors including the environment they were brought up in. The Model highlights the idea that addictive behaviour may be inherited. Heath and Martin (1993) found that the heritability of alcohol addiction is between 39%-60%. …show more content…
This is what I aim to discover by analysing and observing 12 adults (aged 25-40) with Anorexia Nervosa post discharge from hospital over a 4 week period. Patients have been specifically chosen from volunteers, 6 patients were able to pay for psychological input (Group A) and 6 were not able to pay (Group B) – this has given me a testable hypothesis. Patients have been briefed and told that they can withdraw from the study at any time – mental health professionals will be overseeing the study and are able to intervene if needed. In order to gather information I will be using mood scales, questionnaires, interviews and physical observations. I will be comparing my findings between the two control
Models of addictive behaviour aim to explain the initiation, maintenance and relapse of addictive behaviour. The Biological Model and The Cognitive Model are two that aim to do this.
The biological model describes addiction as being a disease and enforces the idea that the addiction can’t be reversed even with treatment. The model is seen as a reductionist approach in explaining addiction because of the ability to pin point specific causes and triggers that can lead to the development of an addiction. One biological cause described within the model is thought to be genetic predisposition. The National Institute of Drug Abuse carried out research which aimed to find a genetic link between identical and non-identical twins who are using, abusing or dependent on drugs such as cannabis. Results showed that the rate of addiction was higher in identical twins. However, when using twin studies, extraneous factors including the environment they were brought up in. The Model highlights the idea that addictive behaviour may be inherited. Heath and Martin (1993) found that the heritability of alcohol addiction is between 39%-60%. …show more content…
This is what I aim to discover by analysing and observing 12 adults (aged 25-40) with Anorexia Nervosa post discharge from hospital over a 4 week period. Patients have been specifically chosen from volunteers, 6 patients were able to pay for psychological input (Group A) and 6 were not able to pay (Group B) – this has given me a testable hypothesis. Patients have been briefed and told that they can withdraw from the study at any time – mental health professionals will be overseeing the study and are able to intervene if needed. In order to gather information I will be using mood scales, questionnaires, interviews and physical observations. I will be comparing my findings between the two control