The Social Construction of Group Dependency in Alcoholics Anonymous

Abstract

This study approaches Alcoholics Anonymous as a social world, in which social integration is a key to individual success. It uses qualitative methods of participant observation and indepth interviewing to show that despite previous findings, which suggest that a high degree of affiliative need and group dependency are preconditions for AA success, the interactive processes within the social world may foster a social construction of these characteristics for those who do not fit the profile at the outset. By illustrating the process of social integration for nonaffiliative types who are basically uncomfortable with AA's group-sharing approach, the data also suggests that there is more than one pathway to success in AA, and suggests techniques for enhancing the integration of nonaffiliative types.