The article is \" The addicted Brain\" from National Geographic https://www.nati

Question

The article is " The addicted Brain" from National Geographic

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2017/09/the-addicted-brain/

Module #3-Development of the Self: The article describes the life, addiction, and treatment of a patient named Patrick Perotti. Considering what you've learned about lifespan development and personality, what are some factors that contributed to Patrick becoming addicted to cocaine? Explain how a person's cognitive, social, and physical development has the potential to impact addicting behaviors Module #4-Psychological Disorders and Learning: In the article, a neurologist named Dr. Antonello Bonci states the following, "In a sense, addiction is a pathological form of learning." Based on the article and what we've learned this term, explain what Dr. Bonci means by this statement. Detail the specific factors that influence "learning" in this context.

Explanation / Answer

Module #3- Development of the Self:

The susceptibility for drugs may include various factors, like genes, brain structure which is chemistry of the brain, personality and other psychological factors. Environment, culture and social activities are the other factors impact the addiction behavior. However, once the behaviour is learned, the cognitive-motivational factors that forces a person to be consistent with the use of the substance.People are more likely to choose to use drugs even after knowing it yeilds negative consequences. Depending on personality a person can abstain from it or addict. Addiction changes the structure of neural circuits to reserve the high priority to cocaine or heroin or other drugs.

Drug users progress to other stage of addiction has the felling of withdrawal when they initiate abstinence. As Patric Perotti gets addicted even after withdrawal because few drugs produce cognition-related withdrawal symptoms this causes abstinence more difficult. One of them is COCAINE which affects congitive functions. In order to abstain develop himself Patric Protti decided to go to the doctor for the therapy.

Module #4- Physchological Disorders and Learning:

This article describes that the addiction for drugs is not a "physchological disorder" but a form of "learning" as Dr. Antonello Bonci stated " In a sense, addiction is a pathological form of learning". To understand this statement first we need to understand "learning". As we know a dog can be trained to salviate to a ringing bell. After giving meat or a steak, the dog learns that rining bell is food. Here it describes that ringing the bell is the trigger and response is the dog salviating to it. In the same way, the use of drugs causes triggers which may be anything place, human, feelings, object and the response is carving for the drug. This is the normal learning process.

When we learn something we get rewarded by the chemical Dopamine. We tend to repeat the behavior once we exprience a sense of pleasure from unexpected reward. After a while the pleasure is no longer the same. Dopamine is not released once we learn something so well.

Moreover, when drugs are bieng used dopamine release is high and prolonged than natual occurrence. Even after learning so well the dopamine is released , though it might be a 100th time or more. It cannot be unlearned even after knowing the suffering and pain associated with the usage of drugs. This is nothing but Pathologiacal Learning. Triggering, response and rewards are the factors in the process of learning. This is what neurologist Dr. Antonello Bonci is meant by his statement.

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