Question

One of the simplest ways of thinking about addictive behavior is the social learning (Bandura) emphasis on modeling – "monkey see, monkey do." Describe examples of how modeling might help us to better understand addictive behavior, and identify the mechanisms involved. Do you see any weaknesses or limitations in this “common-sense” view?

Answer 1

• Social learning is the most common way that people learn. Therefore, it has important implications for recovery efforts.
• The social interactions that have the greatest influence are with the people who mattered to us as we grew up. This includes parents and other family members. It might also include a neighbor or teacher. Maybe we noticed our parents only ever relaxed and had fun when they gambled (perhaps playing cards with friends).
• Maybe they coped with stress by smoking pot. Maybe we observed they never socialized unless they were drinking. If we observed these sorts of things then we will be more likely to try out these behaviors as well. This is because we have learned through observation that gambling, smoking pot, and drinking achieved a positive result. In the absence of other healthier examples, it would seem those activities were good ways to relax, have fun, and reduce stress. We can attribute this to social learning.
• According to social learning theory, our observations of other people engaging in addictive behavior can lead to the development of addiction. When we observe the behavior and reactions of other people using addictive substances (or activities) we may wish to repeat what we saw.
• For instance, suppose we observed an agitated, frazzled parent coming home from work. She drinks a few drinks, then becomes relaxed and fun to be around. We observed that alcohol is a good way of coping with stress,and therefore through modeling this behaviour could be adopted,when we are under stress or agitated leading to addiction,if recovery behaviour is not learned.
• People have a powerful need for social interaction. Therefore, it becomes important to consider the compelling social nature of many addictions. Many types of addiction require at least the cooperation of other people.
• Some types of addictions afford opportunities for pleasing social discourse and interaction as well. For example, heroin addicts often help one another obtain and use the drug. Alcohol is a frequent and often central feature of many social venues. Gambling casinos strive to provide an exciting social atmosphere.
• The weakness of this approach is the focus on only the environment which leads to the behaviour being modeled. It is limiting to describe behavior solely in terms of either nature or nurture and attempts to do this, underestimate the complexity of human behavior.
• Social learning theory is not a full explanation for all behavior. This is particularly the case when there is no apparent role model in the person’s life to imitate for a given behavior and still people can form addictive behaviours.A model is not always necessary to imitate addictive behaviours,the human behaviour is far more complex than a just a simple explanation like this.
• Individuals can develop addictive behaviours on their own as well.They dont always need a model or someone close to them to imitate their behaviour.