Low Self-Concept as a Cause of Drug Abuse

Abstract

A study was done to determine if low self-concept is a common denominator as a causative factor of drug abuse among adolescents. An open-ended and forced choice sentence completion was the instrument used to question 37 adolescent members of a drug rehabilitation program. The results showed that 75.5% of the subjects considered low self-concept to be one cause of their turning to drugs and 91.9% felt that boredom and curiosity was another. 67.5% put the blame on peer pressure while 64.8% said they were pleasure seeking. It was concluded that boredom, curiosity and low self-concept were significant causes of drug abuse in many adolescents. The implications were for preventive programs aimed at keeping adolescents busy and interested in alternative activities and at enhancing self-concept and building self-esteem.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Anonymous. Go Ask Alice. New York: Avon, 1972.

Dohner

Turned Off Drugs—Turned On to Life. Symposium presented at the meeting of the International Congress on Drug Education, Montreux, Switzerland, October, 1973.

Fort

The Pleasure Seekers: Drug Crisis, Youth and Society. New York: Bobbs-Merrill, 1969.

Gardner

G. E.

The Emerging Personality. New York: Delacorte Press, 1970.

Garfield

Drug Education and the Community. Symposium presented at the meeting of the International Congress on Drug Education, Montreux, Switzerland, October, 1973.

Gold

and Mann

Delinquency as Defense. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 1972, 42(3), 463–479.

Halleck

Psychiatric Treatment of the Alienated College Student. American Journal of Psychiatry, 1967, 124, 642–650. Cited by Warner

Jr. and Swisher

, Alienation and Drug Abuse Synonymous? National Association of Secondary School Principals Bulletin, 1971, 55, 55–62.

Heilbrunn

Comments on Adolescent Drug Users. Northwest Medicine, 1967, 66, 457–460. Cited by Warner

Jr. and Swisher

J. D.

, Alienation and Drug Abuse Synonymous? National Association of Secondary School Principals Bulletin, 1971. 55, 55–62.

Kane

The Challenge of Preventive Drug Education. Symposium presented at the meeting of the International Congress of Drug Education, Montreux, Switzerland, October, 1973.

10.

Keeler

Motivation for Marijuana Use: A Correlate of Adverse Reaction. American Journal of Psychiatry, 1968, 125, 386–390. Cited by Warner

Jr. and Swisher

J. D.

, Alienation and Drug Abuse Synonymous? National Association of the Secondary School Principals Bulletin, 1971, 55, 55–62.

11.

Levinson

Drug Education: A Pilot Study of a 3-Dimensional Approach. Symposium presented at the meeting of International Congress on Drug Education, Montreux, Switzerland, October 1973.

12.

Myers

The Effects of a Drug Education Program Based on a Causal Approach to Human Behavior. Symposium presented at the meeting of the International Congress on Drug Education, Montreux, Switzerland, October, 1973.

13.

Piorkowski

G. K.

Drug Education at its Best—The Shaping of Values and Anti-Drug Attitudes. Journal of Drug Education, 1973, 3(1), 31–37.

14.

Poe

Boynton

and Allman

A Comparison of Self-Concept, Reflected Self and Ideal Self of Drug Abusers and Non-Abusers. Unpublished manuscript, Florida Atlantic University, 1972.

15.

Samuels

A Comprehensive Drug Education Program. Symposium presented at the meeting of the International Congress on Drug Education, Montreux, Switzerland, October, 1973.

16.

Singer

The School Counselor and the Drug Problem. School Counselor, 1972, 19, 284–288.

17.

Speedy

Hope is Searching with the Expectation of Finding. Symposium presented at the meeting of the International Congress on Drug Education, Montreux, Switzerland, October, 1973.

18.

Warner

and Swisher

J. D.

Alienation and Drug Abuse Synonymous?

National Association of Secondary School Principals Bulletin, 1971, 55, 55–62.