ABSTRACT
The Conflict Period Theory (CPT), based on the author’s doctoral fieldwork experiences, intends to analyze addictive behaviors related to alcohol consumption by Indian adolescents. The CPT has four postulates: (i) Positive expectancies influence experimentations with alcohol, (ii) Subjective norms build a defense mechanism against experimentation, (iii) Experimentation with positive expectancies and defense mechanism based on subjective norms produces an inner conflict or dilemma, (iv) This conflict springs with the initiation of alcohol use, fluctuates as the using stages upgrade and stabilizes at a low by reaching the dependency stage. Once the dependency stage is reached, the user finds it challenging to quit the alcohol use, as intrapsychic conflict stops rendering the opportunity for self-regulation of behavior.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.