FSS:PSYb2921 Psychology of addictions - Course Information

PSYb2921 Psychology of addictions

Extent and Intensity

0/2/0. 3 credit(s). Type of Completion: z (credit).

Teacher(s)

doc. Mgr. Lukas Blinka, PhD. (lecturer)
Mgr. Dita Siřínková (assistant)

Guaranteed by

doc. Mgr. Lukas Blinka, PhD.
Department of Psychology – Faculty of Social Studies
Supplier department: Department of Psychology – Faculty of Social Studies

Prerequisites

SEMESTR(5) || SEMESTR(6) || SEMESTR(7) || SEMESTR(8)
The course provides basic information on the psychological understanding of addictions - the involvement of people in the use of psychoactive substances and other addictive behaviours. The course is divided into three parts. The first is about addiction models - about how different fields of knowledge understand and conceptualise addiction (e.g., behavioural biology, neuropsychology, evolutionary biology, behaviourism, psychodynamic theories, social psychology, etc.). The second part focuses on specific substances (both legal and illicit, e.g. alcohol, nicotine, caffeine, THC, amphetamines, opiates) and so-called behavioural addictions like gambling and gaming disorders, eating disorders, and hypersexuality. The last part of the course is focused on the work of a psychologist with addictions - prevention, counselling, and treatment with examples in the form of case studies.

Course Enrolment Limitations

The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.

The capacity limit for the course is 30 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/30, only registered: 0/30

fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with

• Psychology (programme FSS, B-PSY) (4)

Course objectives

- to acquire the theoretical and interdisciplinary knowledge needed to understand the phenomenon of addiction - get an overview of individual types of addictions, individual effects of psychoactive substances and contextual factors of substance and non-substance addictions - get practical information about addiction prevention and treatment

Learning outcomes

- understand the issue of addictions in general and in individual manifestations - become familiar with the effects of psychoactive substances - apply psychological theories (e.g. psychodynamic theories, motivation theories, cognitive theories) to the phenomenon of addictions - describe individual and different contextual factors of addiction

Syllabus

• - Historical perspective of the phenomenon of addictions and its influence on the current understanding (e.g., moral model of addictions)
• - Biological bases of addictions (neurobiological, genetic, and evolutionary). Disease model of addiction
• - Psychological models of addiction. Addiction as learned and imitated behaviour. The self-medication model of addiction. Live environment - family, peers, surroundings
• - Legal psychoactive substances. Alcohol, nicotine, caffeine
• - Illegal psychoactive substances. Cannabis, opioids and sedatives, amphetamines and other stimulants
• - Introduction to behavioral addictions. Borderline topics - eating disorders (binge eating, bulimia nervosa and anorexia nervosa), excessive exercise and anabolic steroid use
• - Pathological gambling
• - Behavioral addictions and digital media - Gaming disorder, compulsive sexual behaviour disorder
• - Prevention, counselling, motivational approaches in counselling and treatment, harm reduction, levels of readiness for change
• - Specific approaches in addiction therapy - cognitive-behavioral and psychodynamic approach

Literature

• MILLER, Peter M. Comprehensive addictive behaviors and disorders. Amsterdam: Academic Press/Elsevier, 2013, xv, 941. ISBN 9780123983367. info

Teaching methods

lectures, class discussions, readings

Assessment methods

active participation throughout the course, participation in in-class discussions, final colloquium

Language of instruction

Czech

• Enrolment Statistics (Spring 2025, recent)
  
• Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/fss/spring2025/PSYb2921