reducing addiction: behavioural interventions

• aversion therapy is based on classical conditioning, relating to the idea that two stimuli will become associated if they occur repeatedly at the same time

  -

  aversion therapy uses counterconditioning to change the association of addictive behaviours with something pleasant to something unpleasant e.g., instead of being associated with pleasure, it becomes associated with the sickness of taking an emetic

  -

  other aversive stimuli include electric shocks e.g., received when gamblers use phrases relating to gambling or rapid smoking inducing sickness
• gambling addiction aversion therapy

  counterconditioning - replace positive association with negative association - unconditioned stimulus = electric shock/other aversive, unconditioned response = unpleasant sensation, neutral stimulus = words/phrases relating to gambling behaviour

  • addict thinks of phrases relating to gambling behaviours and write them on cards - non-gambling related cards added
  • gambler reads cards
  • when they receive one relating to gambling behaviour, they receive an electric shock
• ao3 - ethical issues

  potential to experience psychological harm - electric shocks are not intended to be painful but they are still unpleasant -> poor treatment adherence (implications)

  -

  not worse than the consequences of addiction - cost-benefit analysis
• symptom substitution


  it may work to put them off their addictive substance/behaviour but it does not treat initial cause e.g., as a relief from stress leading to symptom substitution - swapping one addiction of another - benefits of interactionist approach
• research evidence


  research reviewed 25 studies of aversion therapy for nicotine addiction

  -

  this study has a number of issues, including a failure to 'blind researcher, in that they knew whether ppts were receiving therapy or placebo leading to potential researcher and investigator effects reducing the validity of the study due to potentially ingenuine results
• covert sensitisation


  a type of aversion therapy (in vitro) in which the patient images the most unpleasant consequence following their addictive behaviour e.g., drinking a glass of alcohol and vomiting copiously everywhere
• covert sensitisation process

  1. client encouraged to relax
  2. client vividly imagines themselves engaging in addictive behaviour
  3. client vividly imagines an unpleasant scenario/aversive stimulus involving the addictive substance e.g., smoking and then suffocating or choking on the smoke
  4. client imagines 'turning back' on addictive substance and the resultant relief
• ao3 - research support

  a research study comparing the effectiveness of aversion therapy to covert sensitisation in the treatment of gamblers and found covert sensitisation had a 90% reducing in gambling craving, in comparison to 30% for aversion therapy, leading to the conclusion that covert sensitisation
• ao3 - individual differences

  covert sensitisation would be ineffective in someone with poor imagination or is not motivated to properly engage with the therapy, reducing its effectiveness as a treatment for addiction

  -

  it also lacks sustainability over the long-term, leaving potential for relapse
• ao3 - behaviourist concept

  underpinned by highly scientific theory and tested by behaviourist principles - only addresses outward behaviours, not original cause -> potential for relapse
• ao3 - ethics


  covert sensitisation in more ethical in comparison to in vivo aversion therapy as it is less traumatic and more dignified

  -

  it is also flexible with many types of addictive substances