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addiction

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4 detailed 50-minute lessons with teaching scripts, worked examples, parent guides, and assessment criteria.

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Lesson Overview

Total Lessons: 4
Tier: Foundation and Higher
Duration: 50 minutes per lesson (200 minutes total)
Exam Boards: AQA, Edexcel, OCR, Eduqas, CCEA

Learning Objectives

Prerequisites

Materials & Equipment

Lesson 1: Introduction: addiction

Duration: 50 minutes

Starter Activity (5 minutes)

Quick Recall

Write down everything you already know about addiction. Then check against the key terms: Psychology Exam Tips. Use a mini-whiteboard or paper.

Main Content (35 minutes)

Parent/Teacher Guide:
Before lesson: Read the script below. Pre-teach key vocab: Psychology Exam Tips.
If stuck: Re-read the revision notes (link above), then break the content into smaller steps.
Extension: See the Stretch & Challenge ideas in Lesson 4.
Teaching Script (35 mins):
Mins 0-5 - Hook: "Today: addiction. By the end you will be able to answer exam questions on it unaided. It connects to the rest of Psychology because the ideas here recur across the spec."
Mins 5-20 - Direct Instruction: Work through the core ideas below one at a time; after each, ask your student to explain it back in their own words.
Mins 20-30 - Guided Practice: Model the worked example together, then let your student attempt the first practice question with guidance.
Mins 30-35 - Independent Practice: 2-3 practice questions from Lesson 3 below, with immediate feedback.
First Look

Start with the revision notes summary, then attempt: Explain how the dopamine reward pathway contributes to addiction.

Plenary (5 minutes)

Check Out

Your student states one thing they learned and one question they still have about addiction.

Lesson 2: Core Concepts: addiction

Duration: 50 minutes

Starter Activity (5 minutes)

Review Previous Lesson

Quick recap: write 3 key points from Lesson 1 on addiction. Check them against the notes below.

Main Content (35 minutes)

Key Fact: Addiction is a chronic disorder characterised by compulsive engagement in rewarding stimuli despite harmful consequences. Physical dependence: body needs the substance to function normally (withdrawal symptoms without it). Psychological dependence: emotional/mental need (craving, inability to cope without it).
Key Fact: Biological explanation: the mesolimbic dopamine pathway (reward pathway). Addictive substances and behaviours cause dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens, producing pleasure. Repeated use reduces natural dopamine response, requiring more of the substance to achieve the same effect (tolerance). Genetic vulnerability: inherited differences in dopamine receptor genes.
Key Fact: Learning theory explanation: classical conditioning - environmental cues become associated with the addictive behaviour (e.g. the smell of a pub triggers craving for alcohol). Operant conditioning - positive reinforcement (pleasure from substance) and negative reinforcement (withdrawal relief) maintain addiction.
Key Fact: Cognitive explanation: self-medication hypothesis (people use substances to cope with negative emotions). Expectancy theory (beliefs about substance effects influence use). Gamblers fallacy: the mistaken belief that past random events affect future probability (e.g. 'I'm due a win').
Key Fact: Treatments: aversion therapy (classical conditioning - pair substance with unpleasant stimulus, e.g. Antabuse for alcohol), cognitive-behavioural therapy (identify triggers, develop coping strategies), self-help groups (AA, 12-step programmes), and medication (methadone for heroin addiction - reduces withdrawal without the high).
Psychology Exam Tips: When evaluating addiction explanations, consider: is the explanation reductionist? Does it account for individual differences? Can it explain why some people become addicted and others don't? A biopsychosocial approach (biology + learning + social context) is most comprehensive.

Practice (10 minutes)

Q: Explain how the dopamine reward pathway contributes to addiction.

Answer: The mesolimbic dopamine pathway: addictive substances/behaviours trigger dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens, creating pleasure and reinforcing the behaviour. With repeated use: (1) tolerance develops - more substance needed for same effect; (2) natural rewards produce less pleasure; (3) withdrawal symptoms when substance absent. This explains why addicts continue despite harm - the brain's reward system has been hijacked.

Plenary (5 minutes)

Explain Back

Your student teaches the key points back to you without looking. Fill any gaps immediately.

Lesson 3: Application: addiction

Duration: 50 minutes

Starter Activity (5 minutes)

Quick Recall

Recall the key terms: Psychology Exam Tips. Define each in one sentence.

Main Content (35 minutes)

Parent/Teacher Guide: Let your student attempt each question alone first, then compare with the model answer. Award method marks for correct working even if the final answer is wrong.

Q1: Explain how the dopamine reward pathway contributes to addiction.

Answer: The mesolimbic dopamine pathway: addictive substances/behaviours trigger dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens, creating pleasure and reinforcing the behaviour. With repeated use: (1) tolerance develops - more substance needed for same effect; (2) natural rewards produce less pleasure; (3) withdrawal symptoms when substance absent. This explains why addicts continue despite harm - the brain's reward system has been hijacked.

Q2: Compare biological and learning theory explanations of addiction.

Answer: Biological: addiction is caused by changes in the dopamine reward pathway (genetic vulnerability, neuroadaptation). Explains physical dependence but ignores why people start using. Learning theory: addiction is maintained by reinforcement (positive = pleasure, negative = withdrawal relief) and conditioned cues. Explains why addiction persists in certain contexts but doesn't explain initial vulnerability. Both contribute: biological factors create vulnerability; learning maintains the behaviour.

Q3: Evaluate treatments for addiction, considering both biological and psychological approaches.

Answer: Biological: methadone replaces heroin (reduces withdrawal and craving without the high). Effective for harm reduction but doesn't address psychological dependence. Psychological: CBT identifies triggers and develops coping strategies. Addresses psychological dependence but high relapse rates. Aversion therapy: pairs substance with unpleasant effects. Limited evidence and ethical concerns. Combined approaches work best: medication for physical dependence + CBT for psychological dependence.

Plenary (5 minutes)

Error Review

Review any questions answered incorrectly. Identify whether the error was knowledge, method, or reading the question.

Lesson 4: Exam Practice: addiction

Duration: 50 minutes

Starter Activity (5 minutes)

Command Words

Review what these command words require: state (one point), describe (say what happens), explain (say why), compare (both sides), evaluate (judgement).

Main Content (35 minutes)

Extended Answer

Extended question: Full-Mark Response Evaluate whether biological or learning theory provides a better explanation of addiction. <div class="

A grade 9 response will: describe biological explanation (dopamine pathway, tolerance, withdrawal, genetics); describe learning explanation (classical conditioning of cues, operant reinforcement); evaluate biological (strong neuroscience evidence but cannot explain why most people who try substances don't become addicted); evaluate learning (explains environmental triggers and maintenance but doesn't explain initial vulnerability); conclude: both are needed - biological factors create vulnerability (not everyone is equally susceptible), learning theory explains how addiction develops and is maintained in specific contexts. A diathesis-stress model combining both provides the most complete explanation.

Exam Tips: Dopamine reward pathway: substance -> dopamine release -> pleasure -> reinforcement -> addiction. | Classical conditioning = CUES trigger craving. Operant conditioning = REINFORCEMENT maintains use. | Physical dependence = body needs it. Psychological dependence = mind needs it. Both need treating.
Common Errors: Watch Out! Students often make mistakes here. Wrong: Addiction is simply a lack of willpower - people could stop if they really wanted to. Correct: Neuroscience shows addiction involves fundamental changes to the brain's reward system. The dopamine pathway is altered so that natural rewards no longer provide pleasure, and the substance becomes necessary for normal functioning. Withdrawal causes severe physical and psychological symptoms. While willpower plays a role in recovery, describing addiction as merely a lack of willpower ignores the powerful biological and psychological mechanisms that maintain it.
Stretch & Challenge (Grade 8-9):
  • Synoptic links: explain how addiction connects to another Psychology topic you have studied
  • Real-world: research one real-world use or example of addiction
  • Critical: "What are the limitations of the models used in addiction?"

Plenary (5 minutes)

Assessment Criteria
  • Got it: Confident explanation + correct worked examples
  • Getting there: Main points OK, needs support with detail
  • Not yet: Confused on key concepts - re-run Lesson 2

Homework & Consolidation

Recommended Resources

🎓 Smart Lesson (Guided)