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Differential Reinforcement Essay

997 Words4 Pages

Drug abuse or substance abuse exists in all levels of society, from lower-class neighborhoods to the unbelievably rich. One area that substance abuse is undeniably high is within the college community. Trying to pinpoint the origins of drug abuse is difficult, as there are such vast differences between those who fall victim to drug addiction. Any person of any age, race, gender or social class could have the capacity to become addicted to a substance and begin abusing it. College students are particularly apt, especially in today’s society, to begin abusing a substance.
The first thing to look at is what exactly is substance abuse? Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines substance abuse as “excessive use of a drug (such as alcohol, narcotics, or …show more content…

The general idea of Differential Reinforcement is that we will continue to behave a certain way if we have been rewarded for doing it and will stop a behavior if we have been punished for doing it. Positive reinforcement is associated with rewards, which strengthen the behavior. When a college student begins to abuse a substance that enhances their school performance, they could easy construe the higher grades they are receiving as a positive thing and make it all the easier to ignore the risks of continuing to use the substance. Alternatively, one could use differential reinforcement to explain why an individual would continue to abuse a substance despite it having negative consequences. If an individual becomes addicted to a particular substance, for this example we’ll use stimulants, there are physical consequences associated with stopping the use of the substance. According to the American Addiction Center, “irritability, fatigue, depression, insomnia, anxiety, and drug cravings” are common symptoms of stimulant withdrawal. Since stopping use of the substance causes an individual to feel so horrible, there is negative reinforcement present. One may begin to associate NOT using the substance with what they considered “punishments”, such as feeling the effects of withdrawal or losing out on the performance enhancing affect provided by using the

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