Outline the learning model of addiction

The initiation of addictive behaviour can be explained by social learning theory. For example, smoking addiction can be the result of influence from role models or peers, via vicarious reinforcement. This is supported by Murray (1984), who found that children of smokers are twice as likely to start smoking as children of non-smokers. The maintenance of addictive behaviour can be explained by both operant and classical conditioning. Classical conditioning suggests that an addiction, such as smoking, is caused by the result of associations between neutral environmental cues and the perceived pleasurable effects, or reward of smoking. Operant conditioning suggests that smoking addiction is caused by the feeling of reward of the pleasurable symptoms of smoking, such as feeling relaxed. Therefore, the individual becomes addicted to smoking as they continue to smoke in order to retain this pleasure. Relapse of addictive behaviour can be explained by classical conditioning, specifically cue-reactivity theory (Carter & Tiffany, 1999). This suggests that conditioned cues such as a lighter and ashtray, which have been associated with the pleasurable side-effects of smoking lead to pleasurable sensations, leading to a craving to smoke, eventually resulting in a relapse, where the individual continues their previous smoking behaviour.