Addictions are a product of social dislocation and family stress
Addiction in Free Markets
by Bruce K. Alexander and Stefa Shaler
1 though any person in any society can become addicted, free market societies universally dislocate their members, leading to mass addiction. This simple proposition can profoundly change the way that we deal with addictions in ourselves and others. Although often overlooked by addiction professionals, the evidence for this proposition fdls our history and our everyday life.
In order for a "free market" to be "free," the exchange of labour, land, currency and consumer goods must be controlled by the laws of supply and demand, and must not be "distorted" by personal loyalties, village or
neighbourhood responsibilities, guild or union rights, charity, family obligations, ethnic tastes and aversions, social roles, or religious values....
Disastrously, todays free market fundamentalists ignore all previously understood limits, including Adam Smiths1 warning that national governments must resist the power of manufacturers to "become formidable to the government and . . . intimidate the legislature." Smith also feared excessive profits and considered "private luxury and extravagance" to be "ruinous taxes." We've gone too far toward the free market extreme, and one of those consequences is mass dislocation and, in its train, mass addiction.
At the beginning of the 21st century, for rich and poor alike, jobs disappear on short notice, communities are weak and unstable, people routinely change lovers, families, occupations, co-workers, technical skills, languages, nationalities, therapists, spiritual beliefs and ideologies as they navigate the shopping malls, real estate markets, and employment agencies. Prices and incomes are no more stable than social life.
1. Alexander and Shaler take addiction to include "drug use and many other activities that do not center on drug use" What definition of addiction do you think they are using in this essay?
2. Alexander and Shaler refer extensively to three centuries of English history and to the history of Native Canadians. How do they link these examples with the effects of free market society in the present? Is this argument convincing to you?
1.Argue one side or the other of one of the following statements, drawing on the material from the readings listed following and from the critiques you completed in Activity 4. Remember that your thesis must be your own. Because your essay will be shorter than the assigned readings, you will need to narrow your topic, zeroing in on what you believe are the most important points. Addictions are a product of social dislocation and family stress. Readings: Addiction in Free Markets (see linked PDF); "An Insatiable Emptiness" (page 495). 2.Using the material generated in Activity 4 of this unit and the following list of possible topics, draft a response to the arguments presented in the assigned readings in an essay of 1,000 to 1,250 words. Your essay should be well organized, with good paragraph structure and transition; a strong, ethical, persuasive approach; an appropriate introduction and conclusion; and lively, precise, and grammatically correct sentences. Use a variety of rhetorical techniques, as appropriate, and use MLA-style documentation to cite any material that you quote, paraphrase, or summarize. Revise, edit, and proofread as necessary.
Addictions are a product of social dislocation and family stress
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People yearn for cohesiveness rather than dislocation to ensure their psychological integration. Responsible family members model acceptable behavior in an emotionally nurturing way that promotes a sense of acceptance, support and self-worth. Irresponsible modeling stresses both the social deviant and the models of acceptable behavior resulting in their compulsive indulgence to attain the desired fulfillment. Dislocation and irresponsible modeling in the society result in instability and stress that compels people to indulge in in various forms of addictions. Dislocation and family stress result in addictions because the addicts desire to create alternative social stability and achieve contentment necessary for social endurance.
Addictions encompass compulsive behaviors of excessive indulgence in in destructive practices that are not confined to drug and substance abuse. Addictions include habits formed to fill the void left by dislocation in social structures. Such habits establish a form of stability incomparable to the stable and socially acceptable sources of psychological integration. Addictions thus include substitute lifestyles characterized by habits aimed at filling an existing psychological integration void such as internet pornography, eating and gambling, as well as drug and substance abuse practices (Alexander and Stefa 230).
Addicts embroil in destructive practices to wish away the pain of the past. They desperately attempt to dilute the memories and that create a distorted view of their prevalent lifestyle. Pasts are created in family set ups within the society. The way people view themselves is significantly influenced by the closest people in the family. When families hold views that foster feelings of exclusion from the social set up, it creates the need for acceptance and support from alternative avenues. People thrive in families where they are accepted and supported to belong rather than where there they are subjects of blame and interference to others comfort (Lau 496). Addicts fail to derive the support required to prevent falling into destructive practices in search of comfort.
A strong opposition to deviant behavior also has a negative effect on those modeling acceptable behavior as they also become easy targets for falling into addictions. The family models acceptable behavior and one’s inability to conform to the family values creates deep seated voids in those concerned. Members in the family attempt to control deviants and when such attempts fail, they unknowingly subject themselves to psychological and physical trauma of attaining the desired results for themselves in a bid to achieve the sought for fulfillment. This indicates that family failed attempts to control others behavior results in stress and desperation which often culminates in addictive practices in search for an insatiable fulfillment (Lau 497). People in families desire to hold similar values and deviants are strongly discouraged. Their stress in unsuccessful modeling of acceptable behavior results into addiction as they attempt to achieve what deviants fail to achieve. It is therefore necessary that families model acceptable behavior in a way that accommodates the deviants’ emotional needs to achieve intended results.
When the family facilitates the development of a poor self-image, it clouds ones judgment in viewing themselves as worthwhile beings and further fuels indulgence in destructive practices. It also inhibits one’s sensitivity to the negative implications of engaging in the destructive addictions. The body wastes away under ones’ helpless watch (Lau). The family ought to play a significant role of affirming o...