The street addict role : a theory of heroin addiction
- Title
- The street addict role : a theory of heroin addiction / Richard C. Stephens.
- Published by
- Albany, N.Y. : State University of New York Press, ©1991.
- Author
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Displaying 1 item
Status | Format | Access | Call number | Item location |
---|---|---|---|---|
Status | FormatText | AccessUse in library | Call numberHV5825 .S743 1991 | Item locationOff-site |
Details
- Description
- xix, 223 pages; 24 cm.
- Summary
- "This book provides a new answer to the question, "Why do people use heroin and other street drugs?" Drawing upon a growing body of studies of drug users conducted by sociologists and anthropologists, it attempts to integrate their findings into a theoretically unified sociocultural explanation of heroin use. The theory, which draws heavily upon the insights of symbolic interactionist and role theory, posits that there is a street subculture of heroin users. The chief role in this subculture - the street addict role - becomes a blueprint for living for many heroin users. Addicts are heavily committed to this role and organize their behavior and self-identification around it. From this basic starting point, the theory explains how persons become and remain addicts and how they may eventually give up addictive behavior"--Back cover.
- Series statement
- SUNY series, the new inequalities
- Uniform title
- SUNY series, the new inequalities
- Subject
- Heroin abuse > United States
- Drug addicts > United States > Psychology
- Drug abuse > United States
- Social role > United States
- Symbolic interactionism
- Crime
- Group identity
- Crime
- Heroin Dependence > psychology
- Interpersonal Relations
- Social Identification
- crimes (events)
- group identity
- crime (social issue)
- Group identity
- Drug abuse
- Drug addicts > Psychology
- Heroin abuse
- Social role
- Symbolic interactionism
- Drogenabhängigkeit
- Heroin
- United States
- USA
- Contents
- Introduction -- The symbolic interactionist perspective -- Towards a role theoretic model of heroin use -- Becoming and being a street addict -- Individualistic explanations for heroin use -- Origins of the street addict role -- Treatment for the street addict -- What is to be done.
- Owning institution
- Princeton University Library
- Bibliography (note)
- Includes bibliographical references (pages 193-207) and indexes.