Psychology2016

Consciousness 161

Practice Quiz How much do you remember?

Pick the best answer.

1. The primary key to hypnosis is finding someone who
   a. accepts suggestions easily.
   b. has a vivid imagination.
   c. is already very tired.
   d. is easily distracted.


2. Some researchers have suggested that hypnosis may work due to
   an individual’s personal expectations about what being hypnotized
   is supposed to be like and the individual’s ability to play a particu-
   lar role in the given social situation. Which theory of hypnosis best
   accounts for these possible explanations for an individual’s behavior
   while hypnotized?
   a. dissociative theory c. social-cognitive theory
   b. expectancy theory d. biological theory
   3. Your friend tells you she is seeing a therapist who wishes to use
   hypnosis as part of her therapy. However, your friend is concerned
   that she might be hypnotized without knowing it. What might you
   tell her?
   a. Be careful. Hypnotists are in control of you while hypnotized.
   b. Not to worry. Hypnotists can only control their patient’s behavior
   about 40 percent of the time.
   c. That you actually hypnotize yourself and you cannot be hypno-
   tized against your will.
   d. Don’t worry. Hypnosis is just an illusion and doesn’t really work.
   4. Which theory of hypnosis includes the idea of a “hidden observer”?
   a. social cognitive c. expectancy
   b. biological d. dissociative

The Influence of Psychoactive Drugs

Whereas some people seek altered states of consciousness in sleep, daydreaming, medita-
tion, or even hypnosis, others try to take a shortcut. They use psychoactive drugs, chemical
substances that alter thinking, perception, memory, or some combination of those abilities.
Many of the drugs discussed in the following sections are very useful and were originally
developed to help people. Some put people to sleep so that surgeries and procedures that
would otherwise be impossible can be performed, whereas others help people deal with
the pain of injuries or disease. Still others may be used in helping to control various condi-
tions such as sleep disorders or attention deficits in children and adults.

Dependence

4. 11 Distinguish between physical dependence and psychological dependence
   upon drugs.

The usefulness of these drugs must not blind us to the dangers of misusing or abusing
them. When taken for pleasure, to get “high,” or to dull psychological pain or when taken
without the supervision of a qualified medical professional, these drugs can pose serious
risks to one’s health and may even cause death. One danger of such drugs is their poten-
tial to create either a physical or psychological dependence, both of which can lead to a
lifelong pattern of abuse as well as the risk of taking increasingly larger doses, leading to
one of the clearest dangers of dependence: a drug overdose. Drug overdoses do not hap-
pen only with illegal drugs; even certain additives in so-called natural supplements can
have a deadly effect. One survey found that more than 23,000 emergency room visits per
year could be attributed to the use and abuse of dietary supplements (Geller et al., 2015).

PHYSICAL DEPENDENCE Drugs that people can become physically dependent on
cause the user ’s body to crave the drug (Abadinsky, 1989; Fleming & Barry, 1992; Pratt,
1991). After using the drug for some period of time, the body becomes unable to func-
tion normally without the drug and the person is said to be dependent or addicted, a
condition commonly called physical dependence.
One sign of physical dependence is the development of a drug tolerance (Pratt,
1991). As the person continues to use the drug, larger and larger doses of the drug are
needed to achieve the same initial effects of the drug.
Another sign of a physical dependence is that the user experiences symptoms of
withdrawal when deprived of the drug. Depending on the drug, these symptoms can
range from headaches, nausea, and irritability to severe pain, cramping, shaking, and

physical dependence

condition occurring when a person’s

body becomes unable to function nor-

mally without a particular drug.

drug tolerance

the decrease of the response to a drug

over repeated uses, leading to the need

for higher doses of drug to achieve the

same effect.

withdrawal

physical symptoms that can include

nausea, pain, tremors, crankiness, and

high blood pressure, resulting from a

lack of an addictive drug in the body

systems.

psychoactive drugs

chemical substances that alter think-

ing, perception, and memory.