Describe the characteristics of addiction (10 marks)

• p1: salience

  Addiction has several key characteristics that define its impact on an individual’s life. One of these is salience, where the addictive behaviour becomes the most important aspect of a person’s daily routine, dominating their thoughts, emotions, and actions. Even when they are not engaging in the behaviour, they constantly think about it. Mark Griffiths (2005) highlighted this with an example of a gambler who stated that when they were not gambling, they were spending time planning ways to fund their habit, showing how addiction preoccupies the mind.
• P2: mood modification

  point: Another characteristic is mood modification, where engaging in the addiction leads to changes in emotional state. This could be a ‘high’ or ‘buzz’, or alternatively, a way to relieve stress. For instance, a smoker may use nicotine to feel alert in the morning but later in the day for relaxation, demonstrating how addiction can serve as a coping mechanism. Over time, individuals develop tolerance, meaning they require increasing amounts of the substance or behaviour to achieve the same effect
• P2: mood modification

  Example: Griffiths (1993) found that regular gamblers experienced a quicker drop in heart rate than non-regular gamblers, suggesting they needed to gamble more frequently to maintain excitement, similar to how drug users build a tolerance to substances.
• P3: withdrawal symptoms

  Another key feature is withdrawal symptoms, which occur when the addictive behaviour is stopped. These can be physical, such as nausea and insomnia, or psychological, such as mood swings and irritability. While withdrawal is most commonly associated with substance abuse, behavioural addictions like gambling can also cause distress when the individual tries to quit.
• P4: conflict

  Addiction can also lead to conflict, both with others and within oneself. This includes interpersonal conflict, where relationships suffer due to the addiction, as well as intrapsychic conflict, where the individual wants to stop but struggles to do so. For example, a gambler may recognise the financial damage their addiction is causing yet still feel unable to quit.
• P5: Relapse

  Lastly, relapse is a defining feature of addiction, where individuals return to the behaviour even after long periods of abstinence. This is particularly common in chemical addictions, such as smoking, where individuals may restart after years of quitting. These characteristics highlight the complex nature of addiction, making it difficult for individuals to stop without long-term intervention and support.