In my culture, the view on addiction differs depending on the individual, and people in one community may think that addictions are diseases, moral defects, or both. Moreover, even the same person can have varying views on the matter, depending on the circumstances. The reason for that is the multifaceted nature of addiction, which has both psychological and neurological symptoms. According to Dodes (2009), new addictive acts are a reaction to feeling powerless, which shows that addiction is a psychological symptom. However, the reaction can be resisted by the power of will to avoid developing addictive behavior.
Dodes (2009) states that addictions are compulsions or displaced actions driven by emotions. However, there are certain neurological symptoms associated with addiction. In particular, addictions may be associated with reward system dysfunction or the desire to avoid withdrawal symptoms (Dodes, 2009). In short, I believe that addictions can be viewed as a moral defect since the person failed to resist the initial addictive act, which led to the development of automatic behaviors.
The model that supports my belief is the integrative approach based on self-regulating theories. According to Simon and West (2015), this approach combines some aspects of automatic processing theories, reflective choice theories, and goal-focused theories.
In other words, environmental factors and personal traits are essential factors that influence the development of automatic actions. An individual can counter the immediate impulses; however, “this ability can be insufficient due to a lack of strategies, skills, or capacity” (Simon &West, 2015, p. 16). In summary, I believe that humans have the ability to resist any desires imposed by the biological stimuli, insecurities, or the society if they develop appropriate coping mechanisms.
References
Dodes, L. M. (2009). Addiction as a psychological symptom. Psychodynamic Practice, 15(4), 381–393. Web.
Simon, R., & West, R. (2015). Models of addiction and types of interventions: An integrative look. The International Journal of Alcohol and Drug Research, 4(1), 13-20. Web.