The Psychology of Addiction

On why addiction is largely a state of the mind so addicts are more addicted to their addiction, the temporary feeling of pleasure, rather than the drugs…

Addiction is primarily psychological although addiction is defined according to the physiological changes in the body, and addiction continues to be considered as a social, cultural, genetic and experiential process as well. Addictive behaviour could be explained as any behaviour that gives temporary or short term pleasure and also provides relief from discomfort although there may be long term adverse effects.

Addiction is generally described as dependence on any drug and results from substance abuse. Any drug or alcohol can produce addiction as can other things such as the internet, gaming, gadgets, chocolates etc. However the physical and psychological effects of drugs and alcohol are detrimental and actually result in loss of productivity, withdrawal and physical dependence and lack of attention and such other conditions. The primary feature of addiction is dependence as an individual shows increased psychological and physiological dependence on the substance he is addicted to and without the addictive substance the person is unable to return to normal life.

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Psychology Jobs

The great thing about studying psychology in school is that, there are very many options open to you when you graduate. There are very many areas that a person can pursue a career in. You can look at it as an open ended social science. From the many classes taken through college, one can make a choice to find a psychology job in one of the different branches of psychology. This will require you to go back to school to specialize in one of the many options available.

There are different kinds of psychology jobs for example, criminal or forensic psychology where as a professional, you observe criminal minds and create psychological profiles. There’s sports psychology where the objective is to enhance endurance and performance, or child psychology, where you study children, their behavior, reactions and responses.

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Self Help and Psychology 2

The self help movement really began with the advent of psychiatry and the first revolutionary ideas of Dr. Sigmund Freud. Although Freud is ideas have been largely supplemented and many of them have been outright replaced, his work concerning the subconscious mind have revolutionized the way we view ourselves and our future.

Psychology really began with Dr. Sigmund Freud and his inner circle of students who later went on to establish the science of psychoanalysis and the technique for raising the unconscious to the conscious level of awareness. This process of clinical psychoanalysis was the first rigorous science of the mind which has since been used as the foundation for many other practices and techniques that have spread throughout the Western world.

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