Psychology of Drug Abuse Essay - 1495 Words

Understanding the Psychology of Drug Abuse Drug abuse is on the rise. While the use of drugs like cocaine and heroin is in a state of decline in certain parts of the world, prescription drugs abuse is on the rise (UNODC, 2013). Prescription drugs that were prescribed with the intention to do well are now one of the leading causes of self-harm. Drug abuse has no gender or social class, it can affect people regardless of social status and wealth, and now more than ever we need to understand the reason behind the abuse. What psychological factors could cause an individual to abuse drugs in the first place? In this research essay, I will discuss how each one of the major school of psychology perspectives could attempt to explain a†¦show more content†¦A person’s inability to ascend a level of needs may cause frustration and succumb to drug abuse as a mean to increase self-worth, thus creating a false sense of accomplishment and lead to further their abusive habit. Drug abuse could result in a collapse of the hierarchy as drug abuse can affect a person at any level. The second perspective on this question is Psychodynamic Psychology. In a report published by the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, A Psychodynamic psychologist may approach this problem by investigating and understanding a drug abuser’s past and present behaviour by focusing on the person’s unconscious processes. Therefore, psychologists would focus on the abuser’s experience during childhood or past troubled relationships that may manifests itself later on in life, which then causes the individual to abuse drugs. The report continues to state â€Å"The ingestion of the drug provides him with the self-esteem which he does not possess. Through the incorporation of the drug, he supplies for himself the feeling of being accepted and thus of being self-confident; or he creates the experience of being merged with the source of power that gives him the feeling of being strong and worthwhile† (Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, 1999). Self-esteem is a n incredible force that drives us to get up in the morning and face another day. Some individuals are born with an innate sense of self-confidence andShow MoreRelatedNetwork And Relational Perspectives For Community Psychology1244 Words   |  5 PagesChristens, B. (2014). Linking the Levels: Network and Relational Perspectives for Community Psychology. 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While moderately depressed, according to Butcher, Hooley, and Mineka (2014), a person must also have at least two or more symptoms to be diagnosed withRead MorePsychodynamic Perspectives : The Psychodynamic Perspective1345 Words   |  6 PagesThe Psychodynamic Perspective: The Psychodynamic perspective in Psychology examines the theory that our personality and mental disorders are created outside of our awareness by processes in our unconscious mind. It examines the idea that our unconscious outweighs our actual consciousness and that there is more than what we credit ourselves for and/or are potentially unconsciously blocking. One of the best known approaches of this perspective is by using psychoanalysis. This approach highlights andRead MoreEssay on Heroin Addictions in Females1206 Words   |  5 Pagesfemales was a medical condition and men or their husbands always controlled the drug choices for his wife, daughter or mother. This might have set a path for the epidemic of heroin in women today. The heroin epidemic that has hit northern KY and southern Ohio in the last year has brought attention to an addiction that is spreading epically across social classes, and states and is destroying more women’s lives than any other drug. Officer John Shaddle, Head of the DEA, for the Brown County sheriff’s officeRead MoreDrug Profile1262 Words   |  6 PagesDrug Profile Drug Profile * * Addiction is an escape of experiencing control it is an illusion and a mood altering experience. A pathological relationship with life-threatening or negative consequences, it is the experience that is addicting. People can become addicted to anything that alters our mood or consciousness. Addiction can be about self-harm and when done repeatedly it will stop or ease emotional pain that a person may be going through. 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