Jamie Brown – författare

The word ‘addiction’ these days is used to refer to a chronic condition where there is anunhealthily powerful motivation to engage in a particular behaviour. This can be driven bymany different factors – physiological, psychological, environmental and social. If we say that itis all about X, we miss V, W, Y and Z. So, some people think addicts are using drugs to escapefrom unhappy lives, feelings of anxiety and so on; many are. Some people think drugs becomeaddictive because they alter the brain chemistry to create powerful urges; that is often true.Others think that drug taking is about seeking after pleasure; often it is. Some take the view thataddiction is a choice – addicts weigh up the pros and cons of doing what they do and decidethe former outweigh the latter. Yet others believe that addicts suffer from poor impulse control;that is often true… And so it goes on.When you look at the evidence, you see that all these positions capture important aspects ofthe problem – but they are not complete explanations. Neuroscience can help us delve moredeeply into some of these explanations, while the behavioural and social sciences are better atexploring others. We need a model that puts all this together in a way that can help us decidewhat to do in different cases. Should we prescribe a drug, give the person some ‘tender lovingcare’, put them in prison or what? Theory of Addiction provides this synthesis.The first edition was well received:‘Throughout the book the reader is exposed to a vast number of useful observations...Thetheoretical aims are timely, refreshing, ambitious and above all challenging. It opens up a newway of looking at addiction and has the potential to move the field of addiction a considerableleap forward. Thus we wholeheartedly would like to recommend the book for students as wellas scholars. Read and learn!’ Nordic Studies on Alcohol and Drugs‘The book provides a comprehensive review of existing theories - over 30 in all - and thissynthesis of theories constitutes an important contribution in and of itself... West is to becommended for his synthesis of addiction theories that span neurobiology, psychology andsocial science and for his insights into what remains unexplained.’ AddictionThis new edition of Theory of Addiction builds on the first, including additional theories inthe field, a more developed specification of PRIME theory and analysis of the expandingevidence base.With this important new information, Theory of Addiction will continue to be essential readingfor all those working in addiction, from student to experienced practitioner – as urged above,Read and learn!

The word ‘addiction’ these days is used to refer to a chronic condition where there is an unhealthily powerful motivation to engage in a particular behaviour. This can be driven by many different factors – physiological, psychological, environmental and social. If we say that it is all about X, we miss V, W, Y and Z. So, some people think addicts are using drugs to escape from unhappy lives, feelings of anxiety and so on; many are. Some people think drugs become addictive because they alter the brain chemistry to create powerful urges; that is often true. Others think that drug taking is about seeking after pleasure; often it is. Some take the view that addiction is a choice – addicts weigh up the pros and cons of doing what they do and decide the former outweigh the latter. Yet others believe that addicts suffer from poor impulse control; that is often true… And so it goes on.

When you look at the evidence, you see that all these positions capture important aspects of the problem – but they are not complete explanations. Neuroscience can help us delve more deeply into some of these explanations, while the behavioural and social sciences are better at exploring others. We need a model that puts all this together in a way that can help us decide what to do in different cases. Should we prescribe a drug, give the person some ‘tender loving care’, put them in prison or what? Theory of Addiction provides this synthesis.

The first edition was well received:

‘Throughout the book the reader is exposed to a vast number of useful observations...The theoretical aims are timely, refreshing, ambitious and above all challenging. It opens up a new way of looking at addiction and has the potential to move the field of addiction a considerable leap forward. Thus we wholeheartedly would like to recommend the book for students as well as scholars. Read and learn!’ Nordic Studies on Alcohol and Drugs

‘The book provides a comprehensive review of existing theories - over 30 in all - and this synthesis of theories constitutes an important contribution in and of itself... West is to be commended for his synthesis of addiction theories that span neurobiology, psychology and social science and for his insights into what remains unexplained.’ Addiction

This new edition of Theory of Addiction builds on the first, including additional theories in the field, a more developed specification of PRIME theory and analysis of the expanding evidence base. With this important new information, Theory of Addiction will continue to be essential reading for all those working in addiction, from student to experienced practitioner – as urged above, Read and learn!

The word ‘addiction’ these days is used to refer to a chronic condition where there is an unhealthily powerful motivation to engage in a particular behaviour. This can be driven by many different factors – physiological, psychological, environmental and social. If we say that it is all about X, we miss V, W, Y and Z. So, some people think addicts are using drugs to escape from unhappy lives, feelings of anxiety and so on; many are. Some people think drugs become addictive because they alter the brain chemistry to create powerful urges; that is often true. Others think that drug taking is about seeking after pleasure; often it is. Some take the view that addiction is a choice – addicts weigh up the pros and cons of doing what they do and decide the former outweigh the latter. Yet others believe that addicts suffer from poor impulse control; that is often true… And so it goes on.

When you look at the evidence, you see that all these positions capture important aspects of the problem – but they are not complete explanations. Neuroscience can help us delve more deeply into some of these explanations, while the behavioural and social sciences are better at exploring others. We need a model that puts all this together in a way that can help us decide what to do in different cases. Should we prescribe a drug, give the person some ‘tender loving care’, put them in prison or what? Theory of Addiction provides this synthesis.

The first edition was well received:

‘Throughout the book the reader is exposed to a vast number of useful observations...The theoretical aims are timely, refreshing, ambitious and above all challenging. It opens up a new way of looking at addiction and has the potential to move the field of addiction a considerable leap forward. Thus we wholeheartedly would like to recommend the book for students as well as scholars. Read and learn!’ Nordic Studies on Alcohol and Drugs

‘The book provides a comprehensive review of existing theories - over 30 in all - and this synthesis of theories constitutes an important contribution in and of itself... West is to be commended for his synthesis of addiction theories that span neurobiology, psychology and social science and for his insights into what remains unexplained.’ Addiction

This new edition of Theory of Addiction builds on the first, including additional theories in the field, a more developed specification of PRIME theory and analysis of the expanding evidence base. With this important new information, Theory of Addiction will continue to be essential reading for all those working in addiction, from student to experienced practitioner – as urged above, Read and learn!

Essay from the year 2014 in the subject Sociology - War and Peace, Military, grade: 100.00, Fairleigh Dickinson University, Metropolitan Campus, course: Assessing Internal and External Threats, language: English, abstract: The events of September 11, 2001 changed the way the United States viewed terrorism forever. In a matter of hours, al Qaeda transformed from a foreign and incapable threat to a force to be reckoned with. This group had succeeded where many others had failed: bringing terror to our homeland. Unfortunately, 9/11 was not an isolated event. Since then, there have been numerous groups aspiring to invade the US and bring terrorism to American soil. Al Qaeda was but an example of how a network of seemingly primitive individuals can quickly become organized and sophisticated. Despite being viewed as unbelievably ruthless and violent, dealing with al Qaeda did nothing to prepare the US and the rest of the world for the rise of what has become arguably the most bloodthirsty terrorist organization to date the Islamic State (ISIS). Despite their continuous atrocities, they have successfully increased their numbers to over 31,000. One would immediately wonder who these individuals are that seek to join a group of bloodthirsty terrorists, however, the answer to that question is even more shocking than the question itself. Of the estimated 31,000 members roughly 15,000 are foreign born some of which are from Western nations. It is difficult to believe that so many Westerners would be willing to commit whole-heartedly to this life of violence against their own people, however, former terrorists indicate that once recruited, any semblance of morality is often replaced with a sense of duty to further the terrorist movement. Due to the potential consequences of American membership in groups like ISIS, it is imperative to determine what causes these individuals to abandon all allegiance to their home nations and carryout attacks against their fellow countrymen. This paper shall identify and analyze the common character traits and environmental elements that push Western citizens towards terrorism and use these qualities to identify those with the highest likelihood of joining ISIS.