GENETICS AO3

• Genetic explanation for addiction

  • Environmental and social factors influence whether a person would initiate cocaine use
  • Genes affect whether the person became addicted or not
• Study of support for genetic explanation

  • Kenneth Kendler and Carol Prescott (1998) interviewed nearly 2000 twins
• Concordance rate for cocaine initiation

  54% for MZ twins, 42% for DZ twins
• Concordance rate for addiction to cocaine

  35% for MZ twins, 0% for DZ twins
• Genetic factors have a large part to play in the maintenance of addiction
• Genetic explanation doesn't explain why an individual initially decides to take the drug
• Genetic explanation cannot offer a complete explanation for addictive behaviour
• Genetics


  Role in developing an addiction
• One study against the role of genetics in developing an addiction is provided by Fowler (2007) who looked at the cases of over 1000 twins. He found that several factors cause the development of an addiction, including:

  • Environmental factors
  • Social factors
  • Genetic factors
  • Neurological factors
• Environmental and social factors

  Important in whether a person engages with an addictive behaviour in the first place
• Genetic and neurological factors

  Most closely linked with maintenance and behaviours becoming habit
• Fowler (2007): 'Environmental factors and social factors were crucial in the initiating of addictive behaviours, whereas genetic and neurological factors were most closely linked with maintenance and behaviours becoming behaviour'
• Genes alone is not a sufficient explanation for addictive behaviours