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Towards a Three‐process Learning Theory of Alcoholism
Author(s) -
Wilson Allan
Publication year - 1977
Publication title -
british journal of addiction to alcohol and other drugs
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.424
H-Index - 193
eISSN - 1360-0443
pISSN - 0007-0890
DOI - 10.1111/j.1360-0443.1977.tb00663.x
Subject(s) - psychology , stimulus (psychology) , social learning theory , learning theory , social learning , etiology , cognitive psychology , psychotherapist , developmental psychology , clinical psychology , psychiatry , pedagogy
An etiological theory of alcoholism stimulus response learning, social learning, and physiological dependence and withdrawal phenomena is outlined. Two extreme types of alcoholic are described and held to anchor a continuum on which any case of alcoholism can be located: the “screwed‐up” alcoholic whose alcoholism is largely attributable to inappropriate social learning, and the “precipitated” alcoholic whose alcoholism can largely be explained by stimulus–response learning. A system of criteria by which “precipitated” and “screwed‐up” alcoholics can be differentiated is detailed, and an experimental paradigm for testing the theory is described.