Does endorsement of the disease concept of alcoholism predict humanitarian attitudes to alcoholics?
It has been widely assumed that the disease concept of alcoholism is a powerful vehicle for the promotion of humanitarian attitudes to alcoholics. However, Crawford and Heather have argued that individual differences in attitudes to alcoholics are liable to be a reflection of broader attitudes to deviancy rather than a function of endorsement/rejection of a disease conception. This argument was subjected to empirical scrutiny by means of a questionnaire distributed to 200 members of the public. The questionnaire (1) measured attitudes to four deviant groups--alcoholics, drug addicts, compulsive gamblers, and juvenile delinquents--and (2) recorded whether respondents endorsed or rejected a disease conception of these deviant conditions. Attitudes to the non-alcoholic deviant groups were better predictors of humanitarian attitudes to alcoholics than was endorsement of a disease conception of alcoholism.
Department of Psychology, University of Aberdeen, U.K.
J R
JR
Crawford
N A
NA
Thomson
F E
FE
Gullion
P
P
Garthwaite
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000523:psychology*; D004645:Empathy; D005715:Gambling / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D007604:Juvenile Delinquency / Q000523:psychology; D008875:Middle Aged; D011639:Public Opinion; D012606:Scotland; D012803:Sick Role; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000523:psychology