Abstract Introduction Group therapy can be highly influential in helping addicts (individuals presenting with problematic addictive behaviors) achieve and maintain cessation. The efficacy of such ...groups can be understood by the effects they have on members' social identity and also through associated group processes. The current paper introduces the Social Identity Model of Cessation Maintenance (SIMCM). Methods The SIMCM outlines how a number of processes (including self/collective efficacy and esteem, normative structure and social support and control) may affect cessation maintenance. It also provides a framework to make predictions about how automatic and/or implicit processes influence the activation of addiction relevant identities through cognitive accessibility and complexity in particular. Results A review of initial empirical evidence supporting some of the key specified relationships is provided, along with potential applications in therapy settings. Conclusions Insights into how SIMCM could be generalized beyond treatment contexts and avenues for future research are outlined.
Whilst research has demonstrated the influence of individual and social identities on drinking‐related beliefs and behaviours, none evaluates how identities' incompatibilities are associated with ...mental health, current drinking status nor intentions, and motivations to change drinking behaviour. The current study explored how variability in incompatibilities between the social identities of being a drinker and a Christian related to mental health, alcohol use behaviour, and intentions to change drinking behaviour. A cross‐sectional online survey (via a recruitment platform, Prolific) recruited n = 180 US resident Christians who drank alcohol (56.4% male, 46.6% female, mean age = 37 years). Increased incompatibility between identities moderated the effect of current Christian identity on drinking change motivations—with the strongest links amongst those with the highest levels of incompatibility. A similar effect was also shown for increasing incompatibility between perceptions of the self as an individual and drinking behaviour (self/drinker incompatibility). The relationship between Christian identity on current drinking behaviour was also shown to be moderated by decreased Christian/drinker identity incompatibility but not self/drinker incompatibility. No relationships were identified for general mental well‐being. The study highlights that differences in the protective role of religious identities likely depend on how they relate to others, and the key role of identity incompatibility.
Rationale
Co-witness discussion is common and often witnesses are under the influence of alcohol. As such, it is important to understand how such factors may influence eyewitness testimony.
...Objectives
We combined a co-witness memory paradigm with an alcohol administration paradigm to examine the influence of alcohol and dyadic discussion on remembering a mock crime.
Methods
Intoxicated and sober dyads discussed a previously seen video, whilst in a control condition sober and intoxicated individuals recalled the event on their own. Unknown to the dyads, each discussion partner saw a different version of the video including unique details not present in the other video version. All participants then engaged in a second individual recall attempt.
Results
Dyads were more likely to recall misleading details in their individual recall attempts compared to the control group. Intoxicated and sober dyads were equally likely to report misleading information. Alcohol intoxication had no negative impact on individuals’ ability to correctly identify the source of their responses. Intoxicated participants recalled fewer details under free recall conditions. Alcohol had a detrimental effect on participants’ confidence in their free recall accounts.
Conclusions
Possible alcohol-related and social-cognitive mechanisms are discussed which may contribute to the current findings as well as applied implications for interviewing intoxicated witnesses.
Despite a growing interest in how group membership can positively impact health, little research has addressed directly the role social identity processes can have on recovery from addiction. Drawing ...on social identity theory and self-categorization theory, the present study investigated how recovery group membership can introduce a new social identity associated with recovery, compared to the social identity associated with addiction. We hypothesized that two processes-evaluative differentiation and identity preference-would be linked with higher self-efficacy and positive health outcomes (i.e., reduced relapse, lower levels of appetitive behavior, and elevated feelings of social connectedness Study 2). Study 1 recruited members (N = 61) from United Kingdom based mutual aid groups of Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous. Study 2 recruited ex-smokers (N = 81) from online sources. In Study 1, evaluative differentiation was significantly related to lowered relapse and reduced appetitive behavior. Identity preference was related to higher levels of self-efficacy, which was related to months drug-free and reduced levels of appetitive behaviors. In Study 2, evaluative differentiation was related to identity preference. Identity preference was also related to higher self-efficacy, which in turn was related to lower relapse. Although exploratory, these results suggest that developing a social identity as a "recovering addict" or an "ex-smoker" and subsequently highlighting the difference between such identities may be a useful strategy for reducing relapse among people with problems associated with addictive behaviors.
Harmful drinking is associated with significant negative health and social outcomes, but drinkers are reticent to recognise personal drinking problems, hindering natural recovery or help-seeking. ...Recent evidence suggests that social identity as a drinker is associated with various drinking-related factors but has not been examined in relation to likelihood of problem recognition. In a group of ninety-six harmful drinkers (61 females, M age = 34 years) we explored how identity components associated with ingroup self-investment and ingroup self-definition in combination with implicit identity as a drinker accounted for degrees of problem recognition. In addition to demographic information, addiction experience and drinking behaviour (AUDIT), respondents completed measures of ingroup self-investment (identity centrality, solidarity, and satisfaction), ingroup self-definition (ingroup homogeneity and self-stereotyping), a “self as drinker” identity implicit association test and problem recognition (four items from the Stages of Change Readiness and Treatment Eagerness Scale). After controlling for possible covariates (age, gender and alcohol addiction experience) increased problem recognition was accounted for by explicit and not implicit identity components. More specifically, increasing perceived chronic saliency of one's drinker identity (self-investment in the drinker ingroup) and not an implicit association between the self and being a drinker was related to increased likelihood of problem recognition. This suggests that how chronically and explicitly accessible the identity of the drinker is for individuals might operate to stimulate the willingness or motivation to recognise potential drinking related harm.
•Identities are related to problem recognition in harmful drinkers.•Problem recognition is accounted for by explicit identity components.•Higher problem recognition is related to in-group self-investment.•Saliency of drinker identity is associated with higher problem recognition.•Addiction experience is associated with higher problem recognition.
•Relative contribution of desire thinking, metacognitions and identity in predicting problematic Instagram use.•Different factors predicted compulsivity and withdrawal-based components of problematic ...Instagram use.•For compulsivity negative metacognitions and the verbal perseveration component of desire thinking were essential.•For withdrawal identity centrality and the imaginal prefiguration component of desire thinking were essential.
Work has identified that metacognitive thought results in desire-based thinking and perpetuates the magnitude and severity of maladaptive behaviour including problematic social media use, and also that one’s ingroup identity is related to increasing problematic behaviour. No evidence has ascertained the relative contribution of these as related differential factors in the experience of problematic social media use. The current study explored the comparative importance of components of desire thinking, positive and negative metacognitions and dimensions of ingroup identity on degree of problematic use among 147 current Instagram users. Results showed that for predicting general problematic Instagram use negative metacognitive beliefs and the verbal perseverance component of desire-based thinking were significant. Importantly, however, different factors appeared to be important for predicting distinct aspects of problematic Instagram. For compulsivity indicators, negative metacognitions and verbal perseveration were essential, whereas for the withdrawal component identity centrality (and no other dimensions of identity) and imaginal prefiguration emerge as the sole independent predictors.
Rationale
Witnesses who discuss a crime together may report details that they did not see themselves but heard about from their co-witness. Co-witness information may have beneficial and harmful ...effects on memory accuracy depending on whether the information was correct or incorrect.
Objectives
Given the prevalence of intoxicated witnesses, it is imperative to understand how alcohol influences this effect.
Methods
The present study asked pubgoers (
n
= 67) at varying levels of intoxication to recall a mock crime video after having also watched a video witness statement containing both correct and false information.
Results
Increased intoxication was associated with decreased confidence, completeness and accuracy, but no increased tendency to report false information. Exposure to incorrect post-event information (PEI) can lead to the incorporation of incorrect information, whereas exposure to correct PEI increased accuracy, regardless of individuals’ alcohol intoxication status.
Conclusions
Thus, whilst discussion and intoxication can negatively impact eyewitness memory, discussion may also have benefits for both sober and intoxicated witnesses.
Abstract Facebook is the most popular social networking site in the world providing the opportunity to maintain and/or establish relationships, to share media contents and experiences with friends, ...and to easily communicate with them. Despite the resources and the innovative social features offered by Facebook research has emerged indicating that its use may become problematic, with negative consequences on personal psycho-social well-being, especially
among
adolescents and young adults. The main aim of this study was to examine the unique contribution of personality traits and social influence processes (i.e. subjective norms, group norms, and social identity) to perceived frequency of Facebook Use and Problematic Facebook Use in a sample of adolescents. A total of 968 Italian adolescents participated in the study. Structural equation modeling showed that emotional stability, extraversion, conscientiousness and norms directly predicted Problematic Facebook Use, whereas gender, group norms and social identity predicted perceived frequency of Facebook use. In conclusion, both personal and social variables appear to explain perceived frequency of Facebook use and Problematic Facebook Use among adolescents, and should be taken into account by researchers and educational practitioners.
This study investigated the effects of the European Union Tobacco Products Directive EU-TPD Article 20 E-cigarette (EC) health warnings (“This product contains nicotine which is a highly addictive ...substance. It is not recommended for non-smokers.”) and a comparative harm message (“Use of this product is much less harmful than smoking” COMP) on smokers’ and non-smokers’ perceptions and behavioural intentions.
2495 UK residents (1283 smokers and 1212 non-smokers) self-reported perceived harm, addictiveness, EC effectiveness, social acceptability, and intentions to purchase and use EC, and in smokers, intentions to quit and intentions to use EC in future quit attempts. These were measured before and after exposure to EC images containing either the TPD, COMP, TPD + COMP or no message.
Non-smokers had higher harm, addictiveness and lower social acceptability perceptions. TPD presence increased, whilst COMP decreased, harm and addictiveness perceptions in both groups. For smokers only, harm perceptions were lower following exposure to COMP alone vs. no message. For non-smokers the TPD increased harm perceptions vs. no message. There were no effects on social acceptability, EC effectiveness or use intentions. In smokers only, purchase and quit intentions were higher following exposure to the COMP alone.
TPD messages may be effective smoking prevention tools, although the COMP message was more effective in reducing harm perceptions and increasing use intentions in smokers. That COMP did not increase use intentions in non-smokers suggest that such exposures may potentially act as an effective harm reduction tool without resulting in increased uptake among non-smokers.
•An ad libitum in-the-moment drinking paradigm to provide indirect measures of drinking behaviour.•Positive relationship between desire thinking and in-the-moment behavioural enactment.•Positive ...relationship increases as a function of rising drinking habit strength.•Verbal perseveration and imaginal prefiguration showed differing effects on drinking behaviour.
Desire thinking (voluntary thinking involving a perseverative focusing on desired target-related memories, images, and information), is an important factor in the experience of drinking urges and cravings. Research has not examined the relationship between desire thinking, behavioural intention and the implementation of that behaviour into action, nor how one’s past repeated behaviour in situ (expressed as habit) may moderate these relationships. We employed an ad libitum drinking paradigm to provide indirect measures of in-the-moment drinking behaviours (amount poured mls and amount consumed mls) in a group of eighty-eight self-defined social drinkers immediately after measuring self-reported drinking habit, drinking-related desire thinking, and general drinking behaviour. Results confirmed the predicted positive relationship between desire thinking and in-the-moment drinking behaviour with the effects increasing as a function of rising drinking habit strength. We also observed a dissociation between desire thinking components (verbal perseveration and imaginal prefiguration) in the moderating effects of habit strength on drinking behaviour. For imaginal prefiguration (thoughts related to construction of mental images of a desired target or of its context for consumption) a direct effect on drinking behaviours was shown. In comparison, the effect for verbal perseveration (repetitive self-talk regarding the need to achieve a desired target) was not shown to independently predict drinking-related behaviour but was significantly moderated by increasing drinking-related habit strength. Future work should formulate the nature of this moderating influence on perseverative goal-directed thinking.
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