Encoding and Decoding Substance Use and Addictive Behaviors—The Roles of Cultural Images

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THE AUTHORS

Matilda Hellman, Ph.D., is an Adjunct Professor. Hellman works as a researcher at the Department of Social Science, University of Helsinki. Her work concerns the ways in which culture, governance, and policy articulate define and address problematic behaviors, specifically addictive ones. Hellman has also developed comparative methods for qualitative research and has a long experience in international project lead.

Stan-Shlomo Einstein, Ph.D., is Clinical and Social Psychologist; student; academician (emeritus); Researcher; Journalist (newspaper and radio); editor/author (25 books; 91 topic-oriented special issues of Substance Use and Misuse listed as editor/co-editor (22); unlisted as co-editor (69); journal editor-founder Substance Use and Misuse; Drug Forum; Social Pharmacology; Violence, Aggression and Terrorism; Altered States of Consciousness); consultant, lecturer, conference, and training program organizer, exhibit curator, volunteer; awards (Pace Setter award, NIDA; Mayor of Jerusalem Outstanding Volunteer Award). Area of interest: the parameters of failure.

Notes

functioning, and quality-of-life of individuals as well as systems. Existential threat, instability, and chaos are major dimensions and loss of control over one's life is experienced. The use and misuse of a range of licit and illicit psychoactive substances can and do become part of the repertoire of daily (mal)-adaption, (mal)-functioning, and survival.

² A relevant example of this is the suggested categorization of problems into two basic types: “tame problems” and “wicked problems” by Rittel and Webber. The former problems are solved in a linear, traditional known and tried “water fall paradigm;” gather data, analyze data, formulate solution, implement solution. The valued, modern, normed, evidence-informed scientific methodology. The latter “wicked problems” can only be responded to individually, each time anew, with no ultimate, repeatable, sustained, solution. Substance use interventions have yet to consider and use this thesis in its research and policy activities. Rittel, Horst, and Melvin Webber, (1973). Dilemmas in a general theory of planning. Policy Sciences, 4, 155–169.