Biomedical subjects

E Loonis

Publications and source records attributed to E Loonis.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMedDate not supplied

Addiction as a function of action system properties.

Generalising from some previous analyses of addiction and introducing the concept of an action system which governs all actions which are focused on what Brown (1988) calls "hedonic management," we argue that addictions of every kind involve an action system that displays high salience, low variety, and low vicariance. Addictions also involve what Apter (1982) calls the "paratelic state." A study was carried out comparing 31 drug addicts with 29 control subjects in terms of action system variables. To measure these variables, we constructed a new instrument, the Activity-System Drawing Test, and also used the Telic Dominance Scale to measure frequency of paratelic states. Dysphoria was measured by means of the BATE (anxiety), IDA-13 (depression), SEI (self-esteem), and TAS-20 (alexithymia) instruments. Strong significant differences were found between groups for both action system variables and dysphoria. This supports the idea that addictions emerge from systemic properties of the action system.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Addictions and action systems].

Generalizing from some previous analyses of addiction, and introducing the concept of an action system which governs all actions which are focussed on what Brown (1988) calls "hedonic management", we argue that addictions of every kind involve an action system that displays high salience, low variety and low vicariance. Addictions also involve what Apter (1982) calls the "paratelic state". A study was carried out comparing 31 drug addicts with 29 control subjects in terms of action system variables. To measure these variables, we constructed a new instrument, the Activity-System Drawing Test, and also used the Telic Dominance Scale to measure frequency of paratelic states. Dysphoria was measured by means of the BATE (anxiety), IDA-13 (depression), SEI (self-esteem), and TAS-20 (alexithymia) instruments. Strongly significant differences were found between groups for both action system variables and dysphoria, and there were also strong correlations between both groups of variables. This supports the idea that addictions emerge from systemic properties of the action system.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Validation of the French version of of the Telic Dominance Scale (TDS)].

There are connections between sensation seeking, difficulties to plan the future and to work towards aims, in relation with fails of mentalisation and addictions. Those characteristics have been described by M.J. Apter as a paratelic dominance of the person, in opposition with the telic dominance. That dimension of the personality has been formalizing as a part of the Reversal Theory. After a presentation of the foundations of this theory, and the validity's studies of the English version of the Telic Dominance Scale, the article explains the proceedings of validation of the TDS French version (Echelle de dominance télique). The population is 72 subjects: 38 addicts--ASI criteria--and 34 control. The component analysis with varimax rotation doesn't allow to find the three factors of construction, but there is a good inter-correlation between the factors. Alpha's Cronbach coefficient is correct, underlining the intern consistency of the scale. At the comparison between groups, the scale has a good sensitivity. There is no correlation between the variables of population (age, sex, employment) and TDS. Lastly, there is a correct correlation between self esteem, anxiety, depression and TDS. The results make TDS a scale with an imperfect validity in its French version, but this scale has sufficient qualities to be used in the case of short studies about addicted population. In association with others instruments, this scale can assess a stable component of the personality giving a measure of the addictive risk.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Is the functioning of our brain of an addictive nature?].

The concept of addiction is increasingly bound to a general model of heterogeneous and polymorphous dependences. In this paper we examine upstream what could found this universal addictive principle, asking the question of the neurobiological root of addictivity. In other words, is the root of our brain working in an addictive way? To answer affirmatively to this question we gather two sets of datas: firstly, the conditions of the brain addictivity and secondly, the brain mechanisms that suggest this kind of addictive working. These datas are common if we consider them one by one, but their synthesis in a bundle of heuristic clues could be interesting to examine and to submit to thought. The model we suggest proposes that the architecture of our brain and the type of functioning of our neurones, imply the presence of a natural addictive set of problems in all human beings, between a fight against cerebral background noise--a dysphoric source--and a stimulation need. Finally, considering some neurobiological data in the last five years, we propose a triangular model of the addict brain, that involves three associated systems: "arousal" system, "liking" system and "wanting" system. This model, supported by the sensation seeking one, will allow us to suggest an explanation of the processes that lead to pathological addictions, according to the principles of a natural and universal addictivity.

Arousal↗