Stories of addiction : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Psychology [at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand]
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Date
2011
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Massey University
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Abstract
This thesis examines lay understandings of addiction in the context of academic and
clinical understandings and how these discourses are encapsulated in the treatment
modalities available to persons experiencing addictive behaviour. It examines the
tensions that exist in the treatment sector due to diverse ‘expert’ understandings of the
addictive process and the very ‘construct’ of addiction. Participants’ narratives
exposed the mutually constitutive nature of lay and professional discourses but also
suggested that such use of narratives in clinical settings may have utility in the
alleviation of addictive behaviours. However, the predominance of the medical model
of addiction within the New Zealand treatment sector, and an increasing focus on
highly manualised brief treatment modalities, may not be conducive to solutions that
are deemed ‘creative’ rather than ‘corrective’ and give ‘voice’ and credence to the
understandings of clients.
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Keywords
Substance abuse, Addiction, Addicts, New Zealand