Addiction is a common psychological illness prevalent in many ages, genders and social classes. The line between identifying addiction and dependence/ substance abuse can easily be blurred because of the similarities between the issues. So, what are the characteristics of addiction?
We will start off by looking at the difference between addiction, dependence and substance abuse. The ICD classification of addiction will also be covered to help you understand more about the characteristics of addiction.
Moving along, to learn about the characteristics of addiction in psychology; this will include the topics; tolerance characteristics of addiction, biological characteristics of addiction, psychological characteristics of addiction and finally, the social characteristics of addiction.
Addiction is a psychological illness that negatively affects the body and mind, freepik.com
What is addiction?
Addiction is a disorder in which an individual engages in compulsive and repetitive behaviour of using substances that harm the body and mind.
The medical/ mental illness is marked by physiological and psychological dependence, meaning that the individual becomes tolerant to the substance and will experience withdrawal symptoms if taken away.
Differences between addiction, dependence and substance abuse
Before we approach the different characteristics of addiction, it is important to understand the difference between addiction and dependence.
Dependence is the physical need for a substance; this usually involves building up a tolerance to the substance. Over time, the individual will need an increased dose or quantity to feel the effects of the substance.
Dependence on a drug is usually psychological or physiological. Dependence is an effect of repeated substance use. Psychological dependence occurs when an individually believes/ is compelled to take the substance. For example, individuals may take a drug to feel "rewarded" if they think they cannot get it elsewhere. From this, you can guess that our mental status causes this.
However, physiological dependence refers to the body's biological adaptations as a response to habitual substance use. The body may quiver or sweat excessively when the individual refrains from using the substance for a long period.
Because our bodies and minds become dependent on the addictive substance, meaning that they can only function "normally" with the substance present, withdrawal symptoms occur when an individual is not using the substance.
Withdrawal syndrome refers symptoms that develop when the addicted individual reduces or refrains from the substance they are addicted to.
Some common withdrawal symptoms include severe headaches, nausea, anxiety, irritability, and trouble sleeping. The severity of symptoms depends on the substance itself, the amount used, and the length of time an individual was dependent.
It is important to understand the differences between substance misuse and substance abuse. Substance misuse usually refers to not following guidelines when using drugs; this could mean taking a higher or lower dose or not finishing a course of prescription medication. In contrast, substance abuse is when an individual uses a prescription or illegal drug to alter their mental state, often for recreational use to achieve a 'high'.
ICD classifications of addiction
According to the International Classification of Diseases (ICD), when diagnosing addiction, the following symptoms they consider are:
- A desire to use the substance despite knowing there are harmful consequences.
- A struggle to control the use of the substance
- Prioritising the use of the substance over other commitments
Whilst objectivity is important in diagnosing individuals with addiction, it may hinder the doctor's ability to use their judgement in diagnosis.
Biological characteristics of addiction
Biological characteristics of addiction concentrate on the influence of nature on developing an addiction. Some individuals could have a genetic vulnerability to addiction.
How Might Addiction be Genetic?
Studies have determined that a certain combination of genes may lead to a higher vulnerability to addiction.
A proportion of the brain's receptors are determined genetically, such as low numbers of the dopamine receptor D2, which has been linked to addiction vulnerabilities. Genetics are also thought to play an indirect role in increasing the risk of addiction through determining certain addiction-related behavioural characteristics, such as lack of self-control.
Case Study: Kaij’s twin study of alcohol abuse (1960)
The study aimed to determine the rate of alcohol abuse in identical and fraternal twins. The higher the concordance rate in identical twins, the higher the likelihood that genetics contribute to addiction.
The concordance rate is the extent to which both twins in the pairing share the same characteristic.
Method:
- The sample pool involved 48 pairs of identical twins and 126 pairs of non-identical twins, all males born in Sweden.
- The twins had been identified with drinking problems from government records.
- Twins were categorised based on their patterns of alcohol abuse to establish a concordance rate via questionnaires, interviews, and psychological testing methods.
Results and conclusion:
The alcohol addiction concordance rate was 54% for identical twins, compared to 28% for non-identical twins.
Genetic factors are involved in the development of alcohol addiction.
Kaij (1960) established that genetics are a huge contributor to alcohol addictions, freepik.com
Evaluation of Kaij's study:
The large sample size suggests that the study's results are generalisable.
Yet, as a limitation, the study solely focuses on alcohol addiction therefore, the results cannot be generalised to other substance addictions, which could prove different.
The sample only involved male twins, meaning that the results are not representative of females and those who are not twins.
The study also suggests that it cannot only be genetic factors that lead to alcohol addiction, as the concordance rate was not 100%. This suggests that environmental factors may also contribute.
Psychological characteristics of addiction
Psychological characteristics of addiction suggest that environmental factors contribute to addiction disorders.
Family Influence
The psychological factors of addiction highlight the influence of nurture in forming addictive behaviours in individuals.
Adolescents may have a perception of approval from their parents if they experience little to no monitoring of their behaviour. They may develop a positive association with substance abuse and are significantly more likely to develop an addiction.
Livingston et al. (2010) found that final-year students who were allowed to drink alcohol at home were significantly more likely to drink excessively the following year at college.
Adolescents whose parents display addictive tendencies are exposed to substances more often and are therefore more likely to start using substances themselves.
Influence of Stress
Addiction has been linked to periods of chronic, long-lasting stress for individuals.
Because stress can affect an individual's brain and neural pathways, just as drugs can, the two have been linked, and those experiencing stress may be vulnerable to addictive behaviours.
Those who suffer from other mental health disorders are more at risk of developing an addiction and substance abuse.
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has also been linked to addiction in individuals. Epstein et al. (1998) found a strong correlation between incidents of childhood sexual assault victims and addictions to alcohol in adulthood, only with those diagnosed with PTSD.
Social characteristics of addiction
Another environmental factor is the social environment of individuals.
Peer Influence
Particularly in adolescents, there is often pressure to conform to a certain social standard and thus change your behaviour according to norms. This changed behaviour could involve using addictive substances and making oneself vulnerable to addiction.
According to the social cognitive theory, adolescents are more likely to mimic their peers' behaviour, potentially to 'fit in'. This explains why teenagers are likely to copy substance abuse that they observe from their friends.
A study by O’Connell et al. (2005) proposed that there are three major elements of peer influence risk factors for alcohol addiction:
Experienced peers provide increased chances for the at-risk individual to use alcohol.
Attitudes and normalisation are influenced by associating them with peers who consume alcohol.
Individual overestimates how much their peers are drinking, and thus they drink more to keep up with the perceived norm.
The social characteristics of addiction can be considered deterministic, as it does not account that people have free will to make their own choices.
Tolerance characteristics of addiction
Tolerance happens when someone's response or reaction to a drug is lessened because of their repetitive use of the substance.
As a result of building up a tolerance to the substance, an individual must increase their dosage to feel its effects. Whilst tolerance forms an unhealthy pattern which is a factor of addiction. It raises the question is tolerance an effect or addiction or is it a cause?
The level of tolerance is different according to the different effects that the drug causes.
Someone with an addiction to cocaine, who has been intaking cocaine for a long period, may no longer feel the effect of euphoria because their body has become tolerant to the drug.
Evaluating Characteristics of Addiction in psychology
Whilst there is a strong case for biological, psychological, and social factors leading to addiction, it is most likely best described using a combination of these factors.
Characteristics of Addiction - Key takeaways
Addiction is a disorder in which an individual engages in compulsive and repetitive behaviour of using substances which have harmful consequences on the body and the mind.
The characteristics of addiction differ from those of substance use/ abuse and substance dependence.
Research has allowed us to identify the biological characteristics of addiction, psychological characteristics of addiction and the social characteristics of addiction.
Tolerance has been established as a characteristic of addiction, However, is tolerance a cause or an effect of addiction?
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