ipl-logo

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

Show More
Related

Grapes Of Wrath Essay

1040 Words | 5 Pages

Running head: THE GRAPES OF WRATH Analysis of the Film: The Grapes of Wrath Name Institution Affiliation 1 THE GRAPES OF WRATH 2 Analysis of the Film: The Grapes of Wrath John Ford directed the film’The Grapes of Wrath based on the book by John Steinback that has the same title. The film features the poverty that swept across America during the Great Depression of the 1930s. We see Oklahoma where clouds of dust are sweeping across the lands nearly choking its inhabitants (The Grapes of Wrath, 1940). That reflects the adverse climatic condition that America was experiencing at the time whereby dust storms were prevalent in the Southwest regions. The farmers are devastated by the sight of their dying crops.

Read More

School Drug Policy 1970-1970

341 Words | 2 Pages

The school’s policies and procedures in regards to illegal drug use on campus have not been updated since 1970, when there was a more relaxed perspective of drug use. In 1970, cocaine was perceived as being used by the wealthy and the users and dealers were a lot younger (Abadinsky, 2014). This school’s policies and procedures haven’t been revised since “crack” was created in 1980 (Abadinsky, 2014). A lot has changed since 1970 and with new and different drugs in existence the level of violence has increased (Abadinsky, 2014).

Read More

Dinner Basket Conversation Report

930 Words | 4 Pages

I am intrigued by human behaviour and what causes a person to make the choices they make. When considering the epidemiology of college students and substance use, we need to remember that it is possible to have healthy relationships with substances. When reviewing the data it will be thought-provoking to compare students who describe having a healthy relationship with substances to those who express having an unhealthy relationship.

Read More

Dr Jekyll And Mr Hyde Substance Abuse

911 Words | 4 Pages

For example, when Dr. Jekyll wanted to release the evil side of him, Mr. Hyde, he intakes his drug to have a sense of freedom (his reward). He was losing control of his “original and better self, and becoming slowly incorporated with [his] second and worse”. (Stevenson, 1886, p. 47). Psychological effects of drug addiction can also occur when someone does not want to deal with stress and or uncomfortable situations. In this

Read More

Results From The 2014 NSDUH Report

1555 Words | 7 Pages

When one abuses drugs, their brain is altered and affected in a way that causes them to continue to use drugs. In “Drugs, Brains, and Behavior: The Science of Addiction”, published by the NIDA, drugs are able to influence and alter the brain in many ways that may lead to addiction. The article states, “Most drugs of abuse directly or indirectly target the brain’s reward system by flooding the circuit with dopamine. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter present in regions of the brain that regulate movement, emotion, motivation, and feelings of pleasure [...] Overstimulating the system with drugs, however, produces euphoric effects, which strongly reinforce the behavior of drug use—teaching the user to repeat it” (“Drugs, Brains, and Behavior: The Science of Addiction”).

Read More

Wvs 211 Substance Abuse Essay

2054 Words | 9 Pages

According to B, Edelfield & T, J Moosa (2012: 4) drug abuse are substances that you take- whether man- made or come from a natural source that change or influence the way you feel, think and act. There are lot of different drugs in this world e.g. dagga, alcohol, cocaine. Drug abuse tend to be the most dangerous activity in our communities, individuals who take them often do wrong things and blame it on the substances.

Read More

Competent Practice In Alcohol And Drug Counseling

1413 Words | 6 Pages

Continuing to use, even when the you know you have a physical or psychological problem that could have been caused or made worse by the substance 10. Needing more of the substance to get the effect you want (tolerance) 11. Development of withdrawal symptoms, which can be relieved by taking more of the substance. The DSM 5 allows clinicians to specify how severe the substance use disorder is, depending on how many symptoms are identified.

Read More

28 Days Movie Analysis

841 Words | 4 Pages

Substance use disorder According to WHO, substance abuse is defined as the consumption of substances that affect the mind in levels that are considered harmful (WHO). Substance abuse covers the abuse of alcohol and drugs such as opioids, amphetamines and cocaine. Substance use disorder is therefore a condition where the use of a substance such as alcohol leads to a severe impairment in one’s ability to be a functional human being. Components of substance use disorder include addiction, dependence and abuse.

Read More

Sororities And Fraternities

276 Words | 2 Pages

There are organizations that surround the colleges and universities, such as, sororities and fraternities. Sororities and fraternities are amongst the general college student’s populations. The members have a high chance of engaging in drinking alcohol and abusing drugs. The reason behind the high risk of drinking alcohol and drug use are other peers or student colleagues peer pressuring students into drinking alcohol and using drugs. It’s very common that sororities and fraternities lure non-Greek organizations students into thinking that drinking alcohol and using drug substances is fun and enjoying what college has to offer.

Read More

Argumentative Essay On College Drinking

1560 Words | 7 Pages

Some might say that the use of alcohol is common place and nothing more than a stepping stone in the ritual of being a college student. The problem is the consequences of binge drinking and excessive drinking should not be accepted as “ritual” or common place. Some consequences are extremely problematic and not only impact the individual but have lasting consequences for the college environment in a global sense.

Read More

Substance Abuse And Addiction Essay

716 Words | 3 Pages

Substance abuse and addiction has been around for many years and it is very harmful to people’s overall health. Substance addiction is a disorder that involves an uncontrollable use of a substance. It is important that people know about this so that they can decrease their chances of developing an addiction and acknowledge the harmful effects. It is also important for people to know about the treatments so they can help themselves, their family members, or friends who might be dealing with substance abuse and addiction. We will look into some risk factors of substance abuse and addiction, the effects it has on a person’s physical and mental well being, and some available treatments.

Read More

Substance Abuse In Emerging Adulthood

1114 Words | 5 Pages

As we can see by the four different development domains, the abuse of substances has several negative outcomes and can be severely detrimental to the abuser. Although it is difficult to stop the abuse of substances, people who are dealing with this issue should seek help. Relying on drugs is

Read More

Persuasive Essay On Sororities And Fraternity

2190 Words | 9 Pages

One-fourth of college students admitted that drinking affected their performance in the classroom, resulting in poorer grades and attendance problems (Jones, Nazaryan, and Sarner 32). White and Hingson contend that “about 25 percent of college students report academic consequences of their drinking, including missing class, falling behind in class, doing poorly on exams or papers, and receiving lower grades overall” (201+). College should be a place to learn and gain friendships, but alcohol and drugs take students away from learning and create false relationships. Most students whose grades fall end up losing scholarships, thus having to spend more money to retake classes which could have been passed if alcohol and drugs were not an

Read More

Literature Review On Substance Use Addiction

1560 Words | 7 Pages

Literature Review Substance Use Disorder Defined According to the American Psychological Association, the definitional boundaries of what addiction is has changed multiple times over the years. Addiction was relabeled dependence in 1964 by the World Health Organization, as it thought that the word addiction closely linked to opiate use. A few years ago, the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) was released and combined the diagnostic categories for substance abuse and substance dependence (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). These diagnoses have replaced the term with substance use disorders.

Read More

Cause And Effect Essay On Drug Addiction

1251 Words | 6 Pages

Addiction is the reliance on a routine. There are many addictive stages. Addiction, as it comes along, becomes a way of life. The persistent use of the substance causes to the user serious physical or psychological problems and dysfunctions in major areas of his or her life. The drug user continues to use substances and the compulsive behavior despite the harmful consequences, and tries to systematically avoid responsibility and reality, while he or she tends to isolate himself/herself from others because of guilt and pain (Angres, & Bettinardi-Angres, 2008).

Read More

More about Differential Reinforcement Essay

Related Topics

Open Document