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Essay on the psychology of addiction
Essay on the psychology of addiction
Essay on the psychology of addiction
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In the book, Addiction & Grace: Love and Spirituality in the Healing of Addictions, May explores how addiction develops and can be treated from a psychological, physiological, and spiritual standpoint. This theme is clearly shown through out the text as it shows addiction from a whole person view. The book covers the development of addiction from desire through the experience of addiction. The key focus on looking at the matter of addiction from multiple stand points in then broken down by explaining how addiction is an issue psychologically, physiologically, and spiritually. By focusing on these three areas the author is able to present the reader with a clear understanding of addiction from all sides of the problem. This is then followed by insightfully exampling the treatment process, specifically through grace as a key focus of overcoming addiction.
May focuses heavily at desire as the main cause of addiction. He sees addiction as a way to fulfill a universal need that all people have. The text focuses on how we all have this need we want met and that we desire to have more in life. The author looks at how through our desire we all fall victims to addiction because of the fall. In chapter one it speaks about how Adam and Eve’s desire for more was what lead to their sin. As a result there is this understanding of how we all have addictions through our addiction and that we all have these problems however some peoples are bigger than others. The text then focuses on how this attachment is the key issue with addiction after we fall to out sinful desires. The book then introduces the understanding of grace as an avenue for detaching ourselves from our addictions. There is also an understanding of hope. The text then further...
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...ial. Overall, I found this book to be very interesting because of it “whole person” approach.
Work Cited
May, G. (1988). Addiction & Grace: Love and Spirituality in the Healing of Addictions. New York, NY: HarperCollins.
Author Information
The author of Addiction & Grace: Love and Spirituality in the Healing of Addictions is Dr. Gerald G. May. Dr. May was born in 1940 in Michigan. He went on to become an Air Force Psychiatrist during the Vietnam War. Dr. May went on to be a psychiatrist and spiritual counselor in Maryland. He was also a Senior Fellow in Contemplative Theology and Psychology at the Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation in Bethesda. Some of his other work includes, The Dark Night of the Soul, The Awakened Heart and many other books specifically focused on the psychological and theological areas. Dr. May passed in 2005 in Maryland.
Although I have been given the knowledge I gained awareness that addiction truly is an illness. My thoughts and feelings will definitely be more tolerant and caring, all while showing concern to those that I may be blessed to be a part of their care in the future. Fortinash, K. M., & Holoday Worret, P. A. Eds. of the book. a. The adage of the adage of the adage of the adage of the adage of Substance-related disorders and addictive behaviors.
This book really opened up my eyes to the world of addiction. I really like the examples that they book gives us. The book understands that it is difficult for most people and family members to understand that addiction is a disease. It could because addicts and alcoholics have done some pretty bad things, because addict’s behaviors can be intolerable and living with one can bring a family member to brink of insanity. It is easy for a person to think that someone can just give up using drugs and alcohol, but I have learn...
In todays world we find people struggling to live. We find people fighting for the sight of hope. The people of this world have seen those who take, who lye, and who beg for the benefit of selfish pleasures. As a whole, humanity is jaded by their experiences. It wants to put each human into the single category of equality. Although this is a kind thought, it is a dangerous fallacy. Men and women tremble in fear if they must call out a specific group of people. Society attacks those who discriminate, because it fears the truths, which it has covered for years. Satel’s essay is such a great piece because the author speaks of her findings with pride. Addiction does not care what society thinks, for it will choose its victims and it will also swallow others who do not fit obsession 's type. This author shows addiction’s attachment to special groups of people. In order to express her claims, Satel uses cause to express the situation and effect to show the result. Her effective use of cause and effect leaves the reader with a greater understanding in the subject of addiction’s desires. I found myself better informed and a bit persuaded, as this essay shows real situations and expresses the truths behind people’s addiction. Individuals are afraid to injure someone by making them feel at odds with the world. Sometimes when we make people fit into our customs they lose themselves and when they search for help only addiction is there to save them from
There are many different definitions in which people provide regarding addiction. May (1988) describes that addiction “is a state of compulsion, obsession, or preoccupation that enslaves a person’s will and desire” (p. 14). Individuals who suffer from addiction provide their time and energy toward other things that are not healthy and safe. The book
The model of addiction etiology that best describes why people get addicted and how best to help them is biopsychosocial model. The biopsychosocial model, first developed by cardiologist Dr. George Engel, is today widely accepted by the mental health professions. The biopsychosocial model describes addiction as a brain illness that causes personality and social problems. The biopsychosocial model lets us to make solid and accurate differences between substance use, abuse, and dependence. It also allows the signs of addiction to be recognized and structured into progressive stages.
Capuzzi, D., & Stauffer, M. D. (2008). Foundations of addictions counseling. Boston, M.A: Pearson Education.
According to Leshner, drug addiction is a chronic brain disease that is expressed in the form of compulsive behaviors (Leshner, 2001). He believes that drug addiction is influence by both biological, and behavioral factors, and to solve this addiction problem we need to focus on these same factors. On the other hand, Neil Levy argues that addiction is not a brain disease rather it is a behavioral disorder embedded in social context (Levy, 2013). I believe, drug addiction is a recurring brain disease that can be healed when we alter and eliminate all the factors that are reinforcing drug addiction.
Peele, S. (1985). The meaning of addiction: Compulsive experience and its interpretation. Lexington, MA: Lexington Books/Heath.
In this paper I will be comparing and contrasting the Psychoanalytic formulations of addiction and the Cognitive models of addiction. According to Dennis L. Thombs, “people tend to get psychoanalysis and psychotherapy mixed up. Psychotherapy is a more general term describing professional services aimed at helping individuals or groups overcome emotional, behavioral or relationship problem” (119). According to Thombs and Osborn, “Cognitive refers to the covert mental process that are described by a number of diverse terms, including thinking, self-talk, internal dialogue, expectations , beliefs, schemas and so much more” (160). I believe these two factors play a major part in an individual’s life that has an addiction.
Dr. Hart argues that social support systems shape how a person deals with their addiction. He brings in the story
A summary of the article “Addiction: Choice or Compulsion” will explain the theories and models of addictive behavior. The moral model shows addiction as a voluntary act, which the addict can control. The medical model portrays addiction as a disease and compulsive behavior that the addict has no control over. The introduction of the third model will suggest that it is neither compulsive nor voluntary (Henden, Melberg, & Rogeberg, 2013).
Toates, F. (2010) ‘The nature of addictions: scientific evidence and personal accounts’ in SDK228 The science of the mind: investigating mental health, Book 3, Addictions, Milton Keynes, The Open University, pp. 1-30.
So, it is clear that addiction is all around us and can attack anyone of us at any given time. Even studies conducted show that people neglect to speak around their dependency for two primary reasons. Foremost, because people do not comprehend, or they bear a total misconception to their addiction, that they do not realize that addictions can be critical to their overall wellness. Moreover, second, many people believe being an addict will never happen to them, but, in reality, most addictions start off as simple little habits. Such as starting with one drink after dinner and before you know it you are drinking several drinks a day. However, one does not opt to be addicted to a substance, because addictions are physical defects in the brain, a disease, and not one’s choice.
Everitt, B. Robbins, T. (1999) Drug addiction: bad habits add up. Macmillian Magazines, volume 389, pg 567-570.
Smith, Melinda, and Lawrence Robinson. "Understanding Addiction." : How Addiction Hijacks the Brain. Robert Segal, 1999. Web. 20 May 2014.