What aids Recovery? - Addiction Attributions, Social Support and Perceived Recovery Abilities

Haas, Josephine (2025) What aids Recovery? - Addiction Attributions, Social Support and Perceived Recovery Abilities. Bachelor thesis, Psychology.

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Abstract

Despite the widespread and destructive nature of addiction, its causes continue to be a topic of debate. Two major schools of thought, though not incommensurable, approach the issue from fundamentally different perspectives. The physiological perspective views addiction as a brain disease rooted in neurochemical imbalances, whereas the psychological perspective emphasizes cultural, societal, and emotional contributors. These differing views carry underlying, often contradictory implications for recovery, such as the promotion of passivity (e.g., pharmacological interventions) versus agency (e.g., psychotherapy), which may influence an individual's recovery beliefs. Hence, this study aimed to explore whether believing in one of these two causes influences the perception of recovery abilities. Furthermore, the moderating role of social support (i.e., emotional and instrumental) was investigated. The sample consisted of 53 self-identified addicts who completed a cross-sectional online survey. Results did not show a statistically significant relationship between addiction attributions and perceived recovery ability, nor a moderating effect of social support. However, exploratory findings suggested a non-significant, positive trend between a preference for instrumental support and a stronger belief in recovery ability. Thus, the influence of perceived addiction causes and social support on recovery are questioned, a more nuanced conceptualization of these variables is suggested, additional influences considered, and further research encouraged. Keywords: addiction, recovery beliefs, social support, self-efficacy

Item Type:	Thesis (Bachelor)
Supervisor name:	Manchev, M.N.
Degree programme:	Psychology
Differentiation route:	None [Bachelor Psychology]
Date Deposited:	16 Jul 2025 07:55
Last Modified:	16 Jul 2025 07:55
URI:	http://gmwpublic.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/5518

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