Addiction stigma and neuroessentialism

Mattia Della Rocca - Department of Civilizations and Forms of Knowledge, University of Pisa Lab for the History and Philosophy of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Rome Tor Vergata

Addicted subjects suffers social stigma (labeling, stereotyping, separation, status loss and discrimination): «a relational notion» (Buchman & Reiner, 2009)

Neuroessentialism (Racine et alii, 2005) creates a cultural representation characterized by the identity between one’s brain and her own Self.

What does it happen when biological models of addiction (Volkow & Li, 2004) meet a neuroessentialist context?

SCUOLAESTIVA DI

NEUROETICASISSA 2014

Addiction as a brain disease: concerns about addicted subjects in society…

Reduction of social stigma

Creation of a new (biological) marker/index of difference

Mattia Della Rocca - Department of Civilizations and Forms of Knowledge, University of Pisa Lab for the History and Philosophy of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Rome Tor Vergata

SCUOLAESTIVA DI

NEUROETICASISSA 2014

… and concerns about health and research policies.

Neuroessentialist approach to addiction

Exclusion of non-

reductionist approaches

from addiction researches

Mattia Della Rocca - Department of Civilizations and Forms of Knowledge, University of Pisa Lab for the History and Philosophy of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Rome Tor Vergata

Exclusion of systemical/relational approaches in addiction treatment (prominence of pharmaceutical therapies)

SCUOLAESTIVA DI

NEUROETICASISSA 2014