Papers on "The Psychology of Alcoholism" and similar term paper topics

Paper #102007 :: The Psychology of Alcoholism
Buy and instantly download this paper now

This paper discusses the problem of alcoholism and various treatments available.

Written in 2008; 2,402 words; 7 sources; APA; $ 73.95

Paper Summary:

Alcoholism is a problem which today has come to be regarded as a disease by many professionals in the treatment community. However, this is a classification which comes with a variety of implications regarding treatment programs. Such implications include the perspective that treatment programs require an admission of lack of control over consumption habits. This account responds to this program approach by recommending psychological approaches to examination. The discussion points out that such approaches may help to apply the needed diversity to understanding the different implications to each subject's specific drinking condition. Other issues touched upon are the perceived credibility of psychology as a treatment method or as a way to understanding alcoholism. Also, the study seeks to determine to what extent the psychological approach can be used in compliment to the currently dominant 'disease model for understanding alcohol.

From the Paper:

"Today, the commonly accepted modes of treatment and categorical understanding of alcoholism are based on the premise that alcoholism is a disease and that its causes and consequences are both similar to those which we might observe in any physical malady to which a person is exposed by happenstance. A psychological perspective on alcoholism, by contrast, suggests that there are typically root causes either in individual or social conditioning which have produced excessive alcohol consumption tendencies such that a substance dependency has developed.
In many ways, the psychological or psychoanalytical approaches to alcoholism had fallen out of favor in the mid-20th century, when our understanding of the physical dependency issues relating to chemical abuse began to changed. To this end, "probably the most popular psychoanalytic view twenty to forty years ago was that alcoholics have a dependent personality, probably created by an unusually great dependence on their parents in childhood." (Ward, 147) A pointedly Freudian way of understanding the issues relating to alcoholism, this provides an oversimplification of the subject which would de-legitimize psychology as a way to examining an issue with physiological implications. Such rash diagnoses would do little in the way of suggesting treatment options, making the 12-step model related to the 'disease' perspective an attractive plan of action rather than internal speculation. This is to indicate that the relatively short lifespan of the psychological discourse would be supplanted by the sustained disease theory, which was deemed to demonstrate more empathy toward the likely preconditions producing the tendency toward alcoholism in a universal sense. Social science and psychology will, of course, tend to refute universalities.
To this end, "social-scientific research has consistently conflicted with the disease theory, but psychological and other nondisease conceptions of alcoholism are not well represented in the public consciousness, in treatment programs, or in policies for affecting nationwide drinking practices." (Peele, 1337) This is because of the stigma placed on such treatment approaches by the altogether inconsistent behavior of the early psychiatric community. In today's behavioralist perspective, though, there is evidence that the psychological perspective on alcohol, or that relating to personality factors, may be of some relevance and value."

Tags: causes disease dependency treatments

More papers on "The Psychology of Alcoholism"

1. Paper #051231 :: Psychological Effects of Drugs and Alcohol ( 2,872 words; 30 sources; APA )
2. Paper #032995 :: The Relationship of Alcohol and Sex: Physical, Psychological, and Social. ( 2,400 words; 12 sources; )
3. Paper #018913 :: Christian Psychology ( 3,150 words; 6 sources; )
4. Paper #060794 :: PTSD and Alcoholism/Addiction ( 4,251 words; 15 sources; MLA )
5. Paper #075641 :: Alcoholism ( 3,920 words; 15 sources; APA )

About AcaDemon

We have thousands of high-quality term papers, research papers, essays, book reports and dissertations on every topic. At AcaDemon, you can download those term papers to help you write yours! You can be sure that the term paper, essay, book report or research paper, you download are top-quality, competitively priced and high-level work.

Look for more research papers, essays and book reports on The Psychology of Alcoholism

This Free Term Paper Abstract is a part of our Term Paper Library. Here you can purchase research papers, examples of essays, academic dissertations, articles, notes, analytical papers, book reports, stories and poems. We have thousands of persuasive, point-of-view, narrative, critical, compare and contrast and other types of essays in our Library. You can also find here Term papers on "The Psychology of Alcoholism", Essays on "The Psychology of Alcoholism", Research papers on "The Psychology of Alcoholism", Student papers on "The Psychology of Alcoholism", Book reports on "The Psychology of Alcoholism", Dissertation on "The Psychology of Alcoholism", Thesis on "The Psychology of Alcoholism", Summary of paper on "The Psychology of Alcoholism", Articles written on "The Psychology of Alcoholism".