Is the concept of compulsion useful in the explanation or description of addictive behavior and experience?

About the Course:

The concept of compulsion, in which addictive behavior is not a voluntary behavior, is central to the neurobiological theories that have become popular as disease theory of addiction are ubiquitous in modern definitions. The aims of this article are: (I) to describe various meanings of compulsion in the literature; (ii) to compare the part thought to be played by compulsion in addiction with its suggested role in obsessive-compulsive disorder; (iii) to critically examine the place of compulsion in influential neurobiological accounts of addiction; (iv) to summarize the empirical evidence bearing on the usefulness of the compulsion concept, evidence that seems at first sight incompatible with the notion of compulsion. This is followed by a discussion of which possible meanings of compulsion can survive an empirical test and what role they might play in understanding addiction, paying particular attention to a distinction between strong and weak senses of compulsion.

This course is based on the article,Is the concept of compulsion useful in the explanation or description of addictive behavior and experience? created by Nick Heather, PhD. in 2017.

Publication Date:

May 18, 2017

Course Material Author

Course Creator

Recommended For:

Counselors, marriage and family therapists, psychologists and social workers. This course is appropriate for all levels of knowledge.

Course Objectives:

1. Acknowledge the various definitions researchers use for compulsion.

2. Identify the numerous studies and theories of addiction.

3. Realize compulsion is not universal, nor is it of the same type found in other disorders like OCD.