Introduction to Addictive Behaviors, Second Edition

Rating:
Summary: Buy the book!
Review: Thombs (1999) offers a comprehensive review of the different theoretical approaches to addictive behavior. I found his differentiation between biological, psychological, and sociological perspectives quite helpful. He further breaks down psychological perspectives on addiction into psychoanalytic, behavioral, and cognitive models. Thombs also discusses the medical model of addiction that is derived from psychiatry. However, the text has two drawbacks. First, I never felt he gave a clear differentiation between "dependence" and "addiction" across all perspectives (e.g., biological, psychological, & sociological). Another drawback concerns the book's lack of emphasis on current "spiritual" approaches to dependence and addiction. He discusses the "moral model" of addictive behaviors early in the book but never re-visits the topic in detail. Current research and practice seem to emphasize a spiritual element to addictive behaviors.

Rating:
Summary: Buy the book!
Review: Thombs (1999) offers a comprehensive review of the different theoretical approaches to addictive behavior. I found his differentiation between biological, psychological, and sociological perspectives quite helpful. He further breaks down psychological perspectives on addiction into psychoanalytic, behavioral, and cognitive models. Thombs also discusses the medical model of addiction that is derived from psychiatry. However, the text has two drawbacks. First, I never felt he gave a clear differentiation between "dependence" and "addiction" across all perspectives (e.g., biological, psychological, & sociological). Another drawback concerns the book's lack of emphasis on current "spiritual" approaches to dependence and addiction. He discusses the "moral model" of addictive behaviors early in the book but never re-visits the topic in detail. Current research and practice seem to emphasize a spiritual element to addictive behaviors.