Explanation of causes of addiction - 3

Question 1

Genetic explanation of addiction

Answer 1

1. There is some evidence that addictions can run in families and might have a genetic explanation
2. Lots of of people do activities that could become addictive such as alcohol or gambling but do not get addicted to them
3. Other people however will very quickly show signs they are addicted to these activities after only doing them a few times
4. If addiction is genetic, it could explain why not everyone becomes addicted because some people do not have the genes that cause addiction

Question 2

Genetic explanation of addiction in twins

Answer 2

1. In 1992, it was found that in identical (monozygotic) twins, if one of them was a smoker there was a higher chance of the other one smoking than if the twins were fraternal (dizygotic)
2. This is because identical twins share more genes than fraternal twins which suggest that addiction could be genetic

Question 3

Genetic explanation of addiction in adoption

Answer 3

1. In 1972, it was found that adopted children who had at least one biological part with alcohol addiction were highly likely to show signs of alcohol addiction themselves
2. This suggests that they might have inherited a gene from their biological parent that makes them an addict
3. A study in 1987 further supports this by finding that adopted children who shared a biological link with someone with alcohol problems were more likely to have problems with alcohol themselves. They also found that if there was alcohol misuse in the adoptive family, then the adoptee had a greater risk of developing an addiction to alcohol. So while there is a strong relationship between genes and alcoholism, there also appears to be an environmental influence

Question 4

• Gene that affects addiction

Answer 4

1. The DDR2 gene has been shown to be related to developing addiction
2. Many different types of addiction including gambling and alcoholism have been liked to a variation of this gene
3. This gene is thought to affect the way the brain reacts to pleasurable activities
4. The D2 gene regulates our dopamine activity
5. People with addiction often have a polymorphism of the D2 gene, which decreases the activity of dopamine. There are also likely fewer and less sensitive dopamine receptors (D2 receptors) in an addicted person
6. This mean that people with addiction might seek out more risky/sensation seeking behaviours as they want to make up for their natural lack of dopamine.

Question 5

Dopamine

Answer 5

1. neurotransmitter which is released as a reward in the brain
2. associated with focus, motivation, and energy

Question 6

Strength of the genetic explanation of addiction

Answer 6

1. There is a lot of scientific evidence to support the genetic explnation for addiction. Twin studies and adoption studies act as a control for possible factors that could explain addictions. The control makes it easier to be sure that the most likely explanation comes from genes rather than other variables. Thus the research is reliable
2. It can explain why only some people are prone to becoming addicts which others find it easy to start and stop potentially addictive behaviours. This helps in the understanding of treatment for addiction
3. The explanation has led to the development of drug therapies which increase dopamine activity
4. If the cause is correct it makes prediction and diagnosis of addiction easier

Question 7

Weaknesses of the genetic explanation of addiction

Answer 7

1. It is reductionist as it fails to take social factors into account.
2. The research has not been able to find a single gene that explains where addiction comes from. This makes it difficult to pinpoint exactly what is causing the addiction. The DDR2 gene has also been linked to autism and autism and addiction have very different symptoms and features.

Question 8

Learning theory explanation of addiction

Answer 8

1. behaviour of addicts have been learned through some kind of experience they have had.
2. There are three main learning theory explanations you can use to understand addiction: classical conditioning, operant conditioning, and social learning theory

Question 9

Classical conditioning in addiction

Answer 9

1. behaviour is learned through associations, so when two or more things happen at around the same time, our mind links them together
2. These two things become automatically connected so in the future when we experience one of these things, the other will automatically be triggered (e.g. getting sick after eating a food and feeling sick when eating or seeing it again)
3. This could explain why people first become addicted to something. If a substance or activity is associated with positive feelings in some way, the person learns to associate it with positive feelings. So next time they want to feel good they will take the substance or do the activity because it is associated with a positive feeling
4. Behaviour is learnt through associating stimuli and response.

Question 10

Operant conditioning in addiction

Answer 10

1. Behaviour is learnt through consequences (reinforcement)
2. any behaviour that is rewarded in some way makes us feel that this is the right thing to do and increases the chance that the action will be repeated
3. This positive consequence is a form of reinforcement that strengthens a behaviour and makes it more likely to be repeated
4. On the other hand, when there is a negative consequence, the behaviour is avoided
5. This could explain why people continue with behaviour they are addicted to even when they are told it is not good for them. If the thing they are addicted to makes them feel good, it reinforces the behaviour and makes them want to do it again
6. Some addictions lead to negative physical symptoms when the person tries to stop, so the person may continue with the addiction because they want to avoid feeling bad

Question 11

Positive reinforcement

Answer 11

giving a reward

Question 12

Negative reinforcement

Answer 12

taking away something bad

Question 13

Positive punishment

Answer 13

giving something undesirable

Question 14

Negative punishment

Answer 14

taking away something desirable

Question 15

Reinforcement

Answer 15

an outcome resulting from behaviour that increases the chance of behaviour being repeated or avoided in the future. The outcome may be the result of gaining something positive, or of something negative being removed

Question 16

Social learning theory and addiction

Answer 16

1. behaviour is learned as a result of observing other people, especially those we consider to be role models, and modelling our behaviour on theirs
2. Behaviour is learnt through observation and imitation of role models.
3. If someone looks up to a close friend or family member who has an addiction they may go on to copy this themselves

Question 17

Strengths of learning theory as an explanation of addiction

Answer 17

1. By assuming addictions are the result of learning, the behaviours can then be unlearned. This means that addiction can be treated if the association of the consequence can be re-learned to avoid the problem behaviour - it is not deterministic
2. A strength of classical conditioning is that it helps to explain why people relapse even years after they have stopped as something triggers it through association
3. The explanation has led to the development of behavioural therapies, such as drugs which make people feel ill when they smoke

Question 18

Weaknesses of learning theory as an explanation of addiction

Answer 18

1. It ignores the role of of biological factors that could influence addition
2. Conditioning theories do not explain why lots of people do possibly addicting activities but do not get addicted. If it was simply based on learning from experiences then everyone with a certain experience should develop an addiction
3. A lot of the theories are based on research conducted with animals, so the results might not apply to humans

Question 19

Polymorphisms

Answer 19

A variant of a gene