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The Role of Social Science in Behavior Addiction

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Handbook of Social Sciences and Global Public Health

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Abstract

This chapter starts with a short review of the medical perspective regarding addictions, more specifically alcoholism. The split between behavior addiction, like gambling or gaming on the one hand and addictions related to substance use on the other is not clear-cut, and it is argued that heavy drinking is a behavior even if it often is characterized as a substance use disorder. Alcoholism is a prototype of addictions and a classic example of it, and since it has historical roots, a lot of research has been conducted on alcohol consumption and heavy drinking which is why it is focused on initially. Some more general contributions of the social sciences in the field of alcohol research are presented since it broadens the view on addictive behavior. Research on social and cultural factors of significance for addiction has yielded insights into the understanding of what addiction is. Finally, three perspectives from the social sciences on addictions generally are presented. They have a specific feature in common and that is that they all use a general frame of action on addictions implying that addictive processes are natural, not pathological.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Social Work, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden

    Lena Hübner

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  1. Lena Hübner
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Correspondence to Lena Hübner .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Health Sciences, Western Sydney University, Camberwell, VIC, Australia

    Pranee Liamputtong

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Hübner, L. (2023). The Role of Social Science in Behavior Addiction. In: Liamputtong, P. (eds) Handbook of Social Sciences and Global Public Health. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-96778-9_98-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-96778-9_98-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-96778-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-96778-9

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Social SciencesReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences

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