The Role of Identity Crises in Addiction and Recovery

Bibliographic Data

ID7870641
AuthorsNada Gligorov (0000-0002-1379-0537, Alden March Bioethics Institute at Albany Medical College Albany NY USA, corresponding author), Ethan Cowan (0000-0002-7276-0549, Rutgers Addiction Research Center New Jersey Medical School Newark NJ USA)
Year2025
Volume42
Issue3
Pages1059-1075
Publication date2025-07-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Applied Philosophy (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0264-3758 • E-ISSN: 1468-5930
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/japp.70006
OpenAlexW4408677212
LanguageEN
References cited31

In this article, we argue that felt discontinuity of self plays a role in recovery from substance use disorders. We rely on a view of the self that identifies continuity of the self with the maintenance of a self‐concept, and we use it to propose an explanation of how individuals with substance use disorders form concepts of self around those disorders. We argue further that individuals can experience a discontinuity of self, that is, an identity crisis, in two ways. First, a person with a substance use disorder might experience a discontinuity of self when they attempt to maintain a self established prior to developing a substance use disorder. This type of identity crisis might motivate recovery as the individual will seek to resolve it through attempts to maintain an earlier concept of self that is not centered on substance use. Second, a person might experience a discontinuity of self as they seek to establish a self that is not grounded in substance use, which might make recovery more difficult by the need to establish a new concept of self

Addiction · Aesthetics · Criminology · Epistemology · Political science · Psychoanalysis · Sociology · Identity, Memory, and Therapy · Mental Health and Patient Involvement · Neuroscience · Philosophy · Psychology · Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes

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