Социальная психология | Мир педагогики и психологии №05 (70) Май 2022

Особенности феномена зависимости от азартных игр в психологии

Зинина Анна Юрьевна
психолог, Санкт-Петербургский государственный университет, РФ, г. Санкт-Петербург, zininaanna0231@gmail.com

Аннотация: Данная статья посвящена вопросу понятия и особенностей феномена игровой зависимости с точки зрения отечественной и зарубежной психологии. Патологическая зависимость от азартных игр может затронуть любой слой населения, независимо от половой принадлежности. Переходя в обсессивно-компульсивное расстройство, контролирует жизнь человека. С точки зрения психофизиологического состояния и деструктивности поведения зависимость от азартных игр схожа с зависимостью от психоактивных веществ. Прежде чем оторваться от реальности и погрузиться в игровую аддицию, игроки проходят различные этапы становления зависимости. Негативные социальные и психологические последствия практически во всех аспектах жизни игровых аддиктов подчеркивают важность всесторонних исследований, а понимание причин зависимого поведения способствует более качественной профилактике и коррекции зависимости от азартных игр.
Ключевые слова: игровая зависимость, азартные игроки, поведенческий паттерн, компульсивное влечение, гормон удовольствия.

Zinina Anna Yurievna
psychologist, Saint Petersburg State University, Russia, Saint Petersburg

Abstract: This article is devoted to the question of the concept and features of the phenomenon of gambling addiction from the point of view of domestic and foreign psychology. Pathological gambling addiction can affect any segment of the population, regardless of gender. Turning into obsessive-compulsive disorder, controls a person's life. From the point of view of the psychophysiological state and destructiveness of behavior, addiction to gambling is similar to addiction to psychoactive substances. Before breaking away from reality and immersing themselves in a gambling addiction, gamblers go through various stages of becoming an addiction. The negative social and psychological consequences in almost all aspects of the life of gambling addicts emphasize the importance of comprehensive research, and understanding the causes of addictive behavior contributes to better prevention and correction of gambling addiction.
Keywords: gambling addiction, gamblers, behavioral pattern, compulsive attraction, pleasure hormone.

Every person strives for psychological comfort. To achieve this goal, everyone has their own individual approaches, certain actions that we are ready to repeat again and again in order to change our mental state and get a charge of positive emotions.

So, with the help of the game, trying to artificially change their mental state, gamblers run away into a change of mood (albeit a short one), into their own illusory world in order to feel free from physical or emotional pain. However, when the pleasure received is stronger than in other cases, positive reinforcement can increase the need, respectively, increase the attraction, moving into the category of dominant.

Gambling may be regular or episodic, and gambling disorder may be permanent or in remission. The frequency of play can increase during periods of stress or depression, as well as during periods of substance use or abstinence. There are periods of strong gambling urge and serious problems, periods of complete abstinence and periods of problem-free gambling. Some people underestimate the vulnerability to developing a gaming disorder or returning to a gaming disorder after remission. In remission, they may mistakenly assume that they will not have problems with gambling regulation, but returning to gambling stimulates the return of symptoms.

It's crucial to realize that not everyone who gambles are at risk of becoming addicted to gambling. There is a thin line between someone who is driven by a healthy passion and someone who is driven by a pathological one. It is critical to keep track of the signs and symptoms of gambling addiction in this regard.

The cohort of patients with signs of pathological gambling is not homogeneous. Some gambles are characterized by an early onset of gambling disorder (“in company” with family members or friends) associated with impulsivity and substance abuse or a history of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder [10,13,20]. Some are characterized by risk-taking, addiction to alcohol or drugs, severe disruption of interpersonal relationships, direct violation of the law, and so on. [6]. Others, in contrast, became pathological gamblers later in life, exhibiting a repetitive pattern of gambling behavior that gradually increases in both frequency and number of bets due to a positive reinforcement mechanism (repeated play or win) [1,8]. Still others have become addicted using the game as a self-healing strategy to relieve symptoms of depression or anxiety. Gambling disorder typically develops over several years, although progression appears to be faster in women than in men [16].

It should be mentioned that gambling was traditionally a male-dominated activity. However, modern society has largely leveled gender rights. The requirement to be a "superwoman", juggling between family and career, has created a new set of challenges for women who feel like they have to constantly "should", leading to exhaustion, frustration and depression. The level of stress in women is growing at a rate that exceeds the level of stress in men. In men, a pathological craving for gambling often develops in parallel with alcohol dependence; in women, it is combined with affective disorders. Women "run" into the world of gambling, wanting to forget failures, painful breakups, mental pain and physical fatigue. The pathological attraction to the game in women is more severe and more difficult to psychotherapy. However, women seek treatment earlier than men, although treatment seeking rates among people who gamble are low regardless of gender [4,18,19].

Unlike chemical dependence (alcoholism, drug addiction), gambling is determined by a behavioral pattern. On the one hand, this means less risk to physical health. However, this leads to a misunderstanding of the problem and a more loyal attitude in society.

In this context, it is important to have a detailed understanding of the individual psychological characteristics of the gamblers' personality, which determine the system of value orientations and motivation of behavior, an inferior lifestyle and the corresponding craving for compensation due to the artificial regulation of the psycho-emotional state through the game.

Problem gambling is currently defined as an uncontrollable urge to continue gambling despite negative consequences, according to the DSM-V of the American Psychiatric Association, and is classified in the category associated with psychoactive substances and addictive disorders (American Psychiatric Association) [5]. The criteria for pathological gambling in the DSM-V are widely recognized and used as a basis for research and clinical practice internationally.

Gambling addiction syndrome is a complex formation that includes a syndrome of mental and physical dependence, turning over time into an obsessive-compulsive state that takes over a person's life.

In 2015, scientists from Yale University and the Veterans Affairs Medical Center and St. Louis University School of Medicine found that problem gamblers and obsessive-compulsive behavior share a common genetic and behavioral link (twin study) [17].

We can talk about the formation of an obsessive passion for the game when gambling is included in the gamblers' life support scheme, dictating behavior, and the anticipation of the game sets the emotional background against which other activities take place, provoking a constant struggle of motives and conflict of behavior. From the moment when the attraction becomes irresistible, a passion for the game is formed, the first signs of personality maladaptation appear. This disorder can be compared with an animal instinct, when a person's ability to control the awareness of their actions is suppressed. The compulsive attraction of the gamblers is so intense that it is able to displace hunger, thirst, sexual desires, suppress and eliminate conflicting motives and controls. Compulsive gamblers are more vulnerable to stress-related illnesses (hypertension, peptic ulcer and migraine).

The need to play grows so great for individuals who are addicted that the strain to play can only be relieved by playing more and more. As a result, the gambler is not able to solve personal problems, stops in spiritual development. Personality traits sharpen and deform, the personality is gradually destroyed, and the filter that previously prevented various addictions from passing breaks down.  There comes an increase in psychosocial maladjustment, depression, physical ill health - the payment is higher than financial losses [3].

Just as a person experiences the side effects of euphoria after consuming drugs or alcohol, a gambler experiences the same feelings after winning at a casino or betting on a winning horse. Reaping the rewards of winnings and sensations, the gambler has a desire to continue betting and playing again and again. «Sensation seeking» is associated with the gambling excitation hypothesis, according to which the reward for gamblers is not money, but the excitement of the game [11]. In other words, the thrill of competition and victory is as strong as the high for an addict, and leaves you wanting more.

A review of numerous empirical studies revealed that the psychophysical the state of a gambler during the game is similar to the pharmacological action of potent psychoactive substances, and chemical addicts and gamblers have similarities in a number of physical signs and personality disorders [2, 15].

As a result of the experiments, it was found that the biochemical nature of gambling addiction is associated with a low level of dopamine (“pleasure hormone”), which leads to a decrease in will and the development of gambling addiction. The less hormone the brain produces, the higher the expectation of winning and the excitement of its anticipation. Regular production of dopamine in anticipation of a win becomes the norm for the body. There is a gradual addiction, and a person can no longer feel normal without a constant "dose" of this substance. As a result, the natural hormone begins to act like a narcotic, causing a severe addiction to gambling [12].

Gaming stress itself is a catalyst for the release of neurochemical compounds that control the psyche. Gambling, like drugs, tricks the brain into rewarding self-destructive behavior. As a result, mental addiction turns into the strongest biochemical dependence of the brain on gaming behavior. These facts characterize gambling addiction as a kind of drug addiction syndrome [15].

In the works of researchers, it is shown that the formation of gambling addiction goes through certain stages (winning, losing, despair, hopelessness) and manifests itself in impulsiveness, raising the stakes, thinking errors that violate the level of criticality of the gamblers [7,9,14]. As one immerses in the game addiction, the gamblers' reality, in contrast to the addictive one, begins to be perceived as negative, which serves to move away from it more and more. The degree of mental reliance is determined by the severity of the imbalance that has developed between attraction to the object of dependence and interest in other aspects of life. The stronger the attraction, the lower the chances of exercising conscious volitional control over one's own behavior. The new "comfortable" world leads to the transformation of worldview positions, the creation of a new cognitive image of reality, the perception of which is reflected in the system of personal constructs.

Summarizing the above, we note once again that gambling behavior is characterized by a powerful, irresistible attraction, and the peculiarity of gambling is that sooner or later almost every gambler will win. The desire to win turns into a psychological trap that fuels gambling addiction. The game becomes the center of life, absorbing all the time and energy. Gamblers feel compelled to continue playing since losing puts them at a disadvantage. Just as an alcoholic will drink to drive away the suffering of alcoholism, a gambler will gamble to repair the damage of gambling.

In light of the preceding, it is critical to recognize that the fight against gambling addiction is founded on more than only the legal framework for prohibiting the organization or conduct of gaming. As with any other chemical or behavioral addiction, a comprehensive solution requires the collaboration of experts from numerous sectors, as well as research into the psychological and physiological aspects of addiction.

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