The Role of Health Psychology in Understanding Substance Use

The Role of Health Psychology in Understanding Substance Use

Health psychology involves studying the behavioral and psychological processes in healthcare, illness, and health. It focuses on understanding how cultural, behavioral, and psychological factors contribute to illness and physical health. Psychological factors can have a direct impact on health. Addictions to drugs are basically a behavior. Most human behavior is learned, and addiction is no exception. Psychological research has helped in understanding how a person learns to engage in unhealthy behavior and how such a person can unlearn the said behavior. In the article by Winger et al. (2005), the authors point out that behavioral scientists regard drug addiction as a disorder of one’s behavior, which is a result of drug reinforcers taking control over a significant amount of a person’s behavioral repertoire. As such, drug addiction can be viewed as a type of excessive behavior that occurs when other activities are appropriate and expected. Initial exposure to the reinforcer’s stimulus, such as euphoria, is followed by the progressive behavior escalation that is produced by the stimuli. Behavior that leads to the reinforcer’s availability can eventually take over the behavioral repertoire because the stimuli now function as a more potent reinforcer compared to other available stimuli in the person’s environment.

In referring to how the mind and body are connected in relation to drug substance disorder, the authors point out that several studies have been carried out on the brain reward circuit. The studies showed that the brain reward circuit comprises neurons that respond to the value or magnitude of the signaled reinforcers. Different investigators have, however, taken different stands as regards these findings. Nonetheless, the research offers a stepping stone to a better understanding of how and where decisions are made within the human brain, specifically how and where an addict’s brain makes the decision to continue using drugs.

References

Winger, G., Woods, J. H., Galuska, C. M., & Wade-Galuska, T. (2005). Behavioral perspectives on the neuroscience of drug addiction. Journal of the experimental analysis of behavior, 84(3), 667–681. https://doi.org/10.1901/jeab.2005.101-04

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The Role of Health Psychology in Understanding Substance Use

Search the library for an article discussing the role of health psychology in understanding, preventing or treating substance use or substance use disorders.

1. How does health psychology relate to our understanding of substance use?
2. Explain how the mind body connection relates to substance use disorders?