Uses of self-regulation to facilitate and restrain addictive behavior (original) (raw)
Related papers
Kopetz et al. (in press) Motivation and Self regulation in Addiction
Addiction models have frequently invoked motivational mechanisms to explain the initiation and maintenance of addictive behaviors. However, in doing so, these models have emphasized the unique characteristics of addictive behaviors and overlooked the commonalities that they share with motivated behaviors in general. As a consequence, addiction research has failed to connect with and take advantage of promising and highly relevant advances in motivation and self-regulation research. The present article is a call for a convergence of the previous approaches to addictive behavior and the new advances in basic motivation and self-regulation. The authors emphasize the commonalities that addictive behaviors may share with motivated behavior in general. In addition, it is suggested that the same psychological principles underlying motivated action in general may apply to understand challenging aspects of the etiology and maintenance of addictive behaviors.
Addiction, Compulsion, and Persistent Temptation
Neuroethics, 2016
Addicts sometimes engage in such spectacularly self-destructive behavior that they seem to act under compulsion. I briefly review the claim that addiction is not compulsive at all. I then consider recent accounts of addiction by Holton and Schroeder, which characterize addiction in terms of abnormally strong motivations. However, this account can only explain the apparent compulsivity of addiction if we assumecontrary to what we know about addicts-that the desires are so strong as to be irresistible. I then consider accounts that invoke the phenomenon of "ego depletion," according to which a person can resist temptation for a while, but not indefinitely. Implicit in this account is the assumption that addiction-related desires persist long enough to deplete the addict's willpower. The balance of the paper argues that the persistence of the desire to consume drugs is a significant form of dysfunction in its own right, and that it makes an important and independent contribution to the compulsivity of addiction. I argue that addiction involves dysfunction in a mechanism that normally prevents a person from being tempted to do something that would invite disaster.
Circuitry of self-control and its role in reducing addiction
Trends in cognitive sciences, 2015
We discuss the idea that addictions can be treated by changing the mechanisms involved in self-control with or without regard to intention. The core clinical symptoms of addiction include an enhanced incentive for drug taking (craving), impaired self-control (impulsivity and compulsivity), negative mood, and increased stress reactivity. Symptoms related to impaired self-control involve reduced activity in control networks including anterior cingulate (ACC), adjacent prefrontal cortex (mPFC), and striatum. Behavioral training such as mindfulness meditation can increase the function of control networks and may be a promising approach for the treatment of addiction, even among those without intention to quit.
Diachronic and Externally-Scaffolded Self-Control in Addiction
Manuscrito, 2022
A restrictive view of self-control identifies exercises of self-control with synchronic intrapsychic processes, and pictures diachronic and externally-scaffolded strategies not as proper instances of self-control, but as clever ways of avoiding the need to exercise that ability. In turn, defenders of an inclusive view of self-control typically argue that we should construe self-control as more than effortful inhibition, and that, on grounds of functional equivalence, all these diverse strategies might be properly described as instances of self-control. In this paper, I take a fresh look at this debate by focusing on cases of addiction. I argue that addicted agents face a paradigmatic sort of self-control challenge, which makes addiction an important test case for theories of self-control. And I discuss evidence that highlights both the unreliability of synchronic intrapsychic strategies and the crucial role that is played by diachronic and externally-scaffolded strategies in successful attempts at achieving abstinence by addicted individuals. Abstaining addicts are a paradigmatic case of agents who successfully exercise self-control, and they mostly do so by relying on diachronic and externally-scaffolded strategies. This, I argue, lends further support to an inclusive view of self-control.
Addictive behaviour constitutes a serious enigma to action and moral philosophy as to theories of rational choice. How is it possible that someone pursues a desire that has been repeatedly experienced and reinforced as contrary to one's better judgement? According to a general view, addiction stems from the loss of self-control attributed to its increasing undermining by strong cravings. However, in both substance and behavioural addiction, one's ability to make choices is not entirely impaired. One is able to pursue some intentions, despite of the fact that addiction leads to a derailment from normal life, undermining relations and roles constitutive of identity and agency. Therefore, it seems that self-control is not completely absent but it becomes somehow " errant " , not oriented by an adequate appraisal of the future, and even maintained in order to fulfil what has become an overwhelming need. This has recently been explored as an unbalance between motivational and evaluative assessment, i.e., a particular form of weakness of will. After determining the specific kind of weakness of will associated with addiction, I will try to understand in what terms can self-control be conceived in order to produce therapeutic outcomes. The case of alcoholic dependence will serve me to illustrate the concurrent forms of self-control subscribed by both sciences and therapies of addiction.
The role of habits and motivation in human drug addiction: a reflection
2014
This Research Topic in Addictive Disorders and Behavioral Dyscontrol, a section of the journal Frontiers in Psychiatry, focuses on motivational mechanisms underlying substance use, abuse, and dependence. This is an important topic in addiction research, since most psychobiological models of drug addiction consider the motivational or reinforcing aspects of drugs to be the central drive for drug use [for an extensive overview of craving and motivationbased addiction models, see a review by Skinner and Aubin (1)]. However, motivational models alone do not seem to fully cover the complexity of addictive behaviors observed in humans, especially in relation to the more chronic, highly relapsing patterns of addiction. In recent years, habit formation theory has become more prominent for explaining the persistent pattern of addiction despite decreasing reinforcing properties of the drug and increasing negative consequences of continued drug use. According to this model, there is a shift from motivated goaldirected behavior toward more automatic and habitual behavior over the course of long-term drug abuse, which is extensively described by . Within this framework, which is derived primarily from animal studies, habits and goal-directed behaviors (the latter being behavior motivated by the desirability of the goal) are opposing ends of the spectrum. However, human behavior is more complex than observed in laboratory animal settings, as is confirmed by clinical observations, and translation from animal to human behavior remains a challenge. Moreover, motivations and habits could be more intertwined than previously assumed. Therefore, some questions rise considering the construct of habits: is habitual behavior completely devoid of motivational underpinnings (i.e., goal-directedness) or is it possible that motivation still plays a role in habitual behavior? Moreover, is habit a unitary construct or are there different types of habituation? In this article, we present considerations in the context of human addiction and motivation in order to open the discussion toward a more careful consideration of the concept of habit and its role in drug addiction.
Willpower building: a new element in relapse prevention
Willpower, self-control and self-regulation may be important ingredients in recovering from addiction. The authors contend that findings from controlled experiments into self-control and self-regulation can be usefully translated into clinical practice as part of a relapse prevention programme. This would be in the form of willpower building, with willpower being broadly synonymous with self-control and self-regulation. Numerous studies indicate that self-control is a capacity which functions like a muscle. In this sense, self-control can be built up, but is also subject to depletion when utilised. Findings suggest that there is direct applicability for self-control in relation to addiction, and recovery in general. It is possible that this capacity can be developed through individual or group sessions. It is argued that clinical sessions should focus on: awareness, planning, building protective habits and exercising self-regulation. While some of these areas are covered in traditional psychological treatments of addiction (i.e., Cognitive Behaviour Therapy and Motivational Interviewing), making this capacity more explicit would be advantageous. Our challenge is for researchers to test these notions in controlled clinical studies.
Goal-directed and habitual control in human substance use: State of the art and future directions
Theories of addiction posit a deficit in goal-directed behavior and an increased propensity towards habitual actions in individuals with substance use disorders. Control over drug intake is assumed to shift from goal-directed to automatic or habitual motivation as the disorder progresses. Several diagnostic criteria reflect the inability to pursue goals regarding reducing or controlling drug use and performing social or occupational functions. The current review gives an overview of the mechanisms underlying the goal-directed and habitual systems in humans, and the existing paradigms that aim to evaluate them. We further summarize the current state of research on habitual and goal-directed functioning in individuals with substance use disorders. Current evidence of alterations in addiction and substance use are mixed and need further investigation. Increased habitual responding has been observed in more severely affected groups with contingency degradation and some outcome devaluati...