Social Constructions of 'Addiction'
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Exploring the social constructions of ‘addiction’ and the consequences of their application within discursive practice through critical discourse analysis.
IRAS ID
273906
Contact name
Harriet Rowe
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of East Anglia
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
N/A, N/A
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 6 months, 29 days
Research summary
The purpose of this study is to explore current understandings of addiction. There are many ideas and theories around addiction, what it is, and what ‘counts’ as an addiction. Professionals frequently have differing opinions, and the language used in research and clinics has been criticised for its mismatches and differences. This in turn has had a negative effect on the progression of scientific understanding. Although there is a large body of research searching for a truth of ‘what addiction is’, there is a lack of research looking into how addiction is created and understood in society through the everyday language we use. We hope to explore how language can create or make problems worse and make them better in relation to understandings of addiction. This will help us to think about how we can change the language we use to be more helpful in research, practice and every-day life.
REC name
London - Bromley Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
20/LO/0435
Date of REC Opinion
4 Jun 2020
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion