Exploring Gambling Behavior in Adults: Theories and Needs Analysis

This essay provides a comprehensive analysis of gambling behavior in adults, exploring its prevalence, psychological needs, and the application of relevant theories. It delves into the motivations behind gambling addiction, differentiating between intrinsic and extrinsic factors such as the desire for excitement, escape from stress, and financial gain. The essay examines the role of theories like the locus of control and social cognitive theory in understanding gambling behavior, including cognitive distortions and the impact of environmental influences. It also discusses the clinical exposure to gambling addiction and the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapies (CBT) in addressing the issue. The conclusion emphasizes the complex biopsychosocial nature of gambling addiction and its devastating consequences on individuals and families.

Running head: ANALYZING GAMBLING BEHAVIOUR IN ADULTS
Analyzing gambling behaviour in adults
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1ANALYZING GAMBLING BEHAVIOR IN ADULTS
Introduction- Gambling is a form of recreational activity that has risks associated with it.
It either embraces or ruins a person’s life. It can be defined as the event of wagering any valuable
possession or money with the intention of gaining material goods or monetary benefits.
Gambling is a human invention (Schwartz, 2013). Addiction refers to a pathological attachment
or compulsive attraction to any substance, generally a drug (West & Brown, 2013). Therefore,
compulsive gambling is a major form of addiction. It is characterized by narrowing of interests,
loss of control, compulsivity, preoccupation, guilt, dishonesty and chronic relapse. Gambling
leads to emotional disturbances. Unlike drug abuse and alcoholism, no physical or cognitive
impairment has been associated with gambling.
Several studies have suggested that adults are more vulnerable to gambling addiction.
Adults are influenced by several intrinsic and extrinsic factors while gambling. Supplementing
income and financial gain are some of the extrinsic factors (Wagenaar, 2016). The intrinsic
factors include distraction from boredom and loneliness, entertainment and escaping grief or
sorrow. This report therefore focuses on the prevalence of gambling in adults and will illustrate
the psychological needs of an addicted person and different theories that can be applied to
address the issue.
Potential psychological needs- This part of the essay will build a relationship between
motivation or psychological needs in older adults for gambling and the various outcomes. Much
research has been carried out in correlating psychiatric needs and gambling prevalence in young
adults. However, relatively little research has been performed to decipher the motivation behind
older adults who are gambling addicts. Due to aging of population and increased senior citizen
participation in gambling, recently research focusing on adult gambler population has emerged.
Identification of the gambling motives in adults who fall across the gambling continuum is of

2ANALYZING GAMBLING BEHAVIOR IN ADULTS
utmost importance to realize the potential motivational factors behind this addiction (Reith,
2012). Wiliam Stekel was one of the early psychoanalysts to find similarities between alcoholism
and gambling mania in adults. In his view, both the events were motivated by regression to
childhood, escapism, power concerns, repressed sexuality and sadism. He also created a
demarcation between a professional gambler and a real gambler. The former plays for monetary
benefits and not for recreation purpose. However, the latter considers gambling as a major form
of play. He recognized the fact that gambling produces alternate emotional states in an adult. It
produces intense feelings of joy, hope and expectation, which makes the addict crave for
excitement (Rosenthal, 2015). Gambling is often played with a fearful behavior. A person
experiences states of depression and mania. Behavioral psychologists laid emphasis on the
capability of gambling to induce emotional arousal or reduce tension in the person involved.
There are many reasons, which force adults to gamble on a regular basis. These factors
can be broadly categorized into two non mutual exclusive motivation types: the desire to
positively reinforce arousal and excitement in the subject and the desire to negatively reinforce
GamblingseverityMonetarybenefitsAmusementExcitementSocialfactorsAvoidance

3ANALYZING GAMBLING BEHAVIOR IN ADULTS
escape or relief from emotional stress or disturbances. Monetary and social and rewards facilitate
the addictive gambling behaviour (Dechant, 2014). Owing to its nature of providing an
opportunity to gain money, an addict gets lured into the game with the expectation of changing
his lifestyle. The expectancies of large rewards generate excitement in the participants and they
start fantasizing or dreaming about the impact of the windfall on their financial status, work,
leisure and ability to support family members (Francis et al., 2015). Smaller monetary or
materialistic wins also provide a gaining position to the addict and further influences them to
pursue gambling in expectation of larger wins. Importantly, the environment in which gambling
is being conducted and the type of game being played is highly conducive to motivate a person.
It influences his social interaction and adds to the inherent enjoyment. Casinos, clubs and hotels
are located at recreational areas, which offer a wide variety of entertainment options like
beverage, food, and shows to an addict. This directly increases the person’s interest in the game.
Social isolation and loneliness lead to development of poor mental and physical health. To
escape such feelings, gamblers visit these venues frequently to meet their game partners more
often, interact socially, and test their game skills and luck in a safe place.
Gambling helps in alleviating isolated feelings. Addictive gambling is also influenced by
certain community factors and family like, previous familial gambling history and social
abstention on gambling. Peer pressure creates an influence on adult gambling behaviour
(Subramaniam et al., 2015). Addicted gamblers become secretive of their daily schedules and
less inclined to interact with family and friends. These factors isolate the gambler from his
surroundings. Thus, his feelings get intensified. The individual feels the need to escape from
such a situation by gambling more, which leads to addiction. Low levels of education and low
socio-economic status is another factor that psychologically affects people who participate in

4ANALYZING GAMBLING BEHAVIOR IN ADULTS
addictive gambling. Several studies suggest that problem gamblers and non-problem gamblers
are affected by similar motivations. However, the motivational strength differs for each of them.
Recent studies provide evidence that adult men are thrice more likely to have gambling addiction
compared to adult women. Adult men seem to be in expectation of more reinforcement in the
form of rewards or amusement than women. They have more positive expectancies from the
game when compared to females. Men maximize the perceived benefits of the addiction and
minimize the risks associated with it (Ariyabuddhiphongs, 2012).
Application of theories to address addictive gambling- Gambling addiction is governed
by a set of interrelated factors and determinants, which encompass several developmental,
personal, psychophysiological and cognitive components. Different theories can be applied to
analyze if the consequences of the behavior of a gambling addict is determined by external
factors or under his personal control. One such theory is the locus of control theory, proposed
by Julian Rotter. The theory illustrates the degree to which a person believes that he has control
over the outcome of his life events, as opposed to the influence of external forces. A person’s
locus or loci is either internal or external (Lefcourt, 2014). When a person interprets that his
behavioral consequences are controlled by fate, luck or powers, it indicates an external locus of
control belief. Conversely, Rotter stated that if the person interprets his behavior to be influenced
by personality characteristics, it indicates an internal locus of control belief. When a person
develops, several behaviors are learnt due to reinforcement outcomes. Such reinforcement
increases the person’s expectancy that a certain behavior will produce the desired result (Carver
& Scheier, 2012). On establishment of this expectancy, the removal of the reinforcement will
make the expectancy to fade. Thus, reinforcement is at times contingent upon behavior, and at
times not. With time, the person will get frequently exposed to such rewarding experiences in

5ANALYZING GAMBLING BEHAVIOR IN ADULTS
which their behavior will directly influence the outcome. However, for some people, the
reinforcement can result from action of external sources. Rotter claimed that the summation of a
person’s learning experiences creates a generalized expectancy on whether the reinforcement is
externally or internally controlled. Therefore, internal locus of control indicates presence of
mental competence that is needed for manifestation of a rational behavior. However, external
locus of control focuses on temporary disruption that leads to precipitation of irrational
behaviour (Orgaz, Estévez & Matute, 2013). Several studies have suggested that gamblers have
high external locus of control which is mainly directed by peer pressure, environmental
experiences and community behavior. Gamblers addicted to lotteries did not believe in skill.
Luck played a positive influence in predicting their gambling frequency. However, for regular
bettors, their internal locus of control rationally influences their betting choices. They gamble
based on their previous experiences and win more than the loss they suffer. The bad beats, which
a bettor experiences can be devastating and can trigger a series of events related to gambling. It
can disturb the gambler’s orientation and he can switch the locus of control from internal to
external. This disorientation produces dramatic changes in his money management techniques
and may bring great financial loss (Spurrier & Blaszczynski, 2014). They take time to realize the
futility of their irrational behavior and start gaining internal control to recover their orientation
and resume gambling.
Another theory which can be applied to address the psychosocial needs of gambling
addicts is the social cognitive theory. It was proposed by Bandura in the year 1986. According
to this theory people are considered as proactive, self organizing, self reflecting and self
regulating organisms (Weary, Gleicher & Marsh, 2012). They were not regarded as reactive
organisms that were shaped by environmental factors or inner impulses. The theory considered

6ANALYZING GAMBLING BEHAVIOR IN ADULTS
personal factors in the form of cognition, biological events or affect, behavioral changes and
environmental interactions that result in reciprocation in the person. Social-cognitive theory is
instructive for the gambling addiction problem. In terms of this social cognitive theory,
expectancies and beliefs, evaluative standards, and goals and are the four critical constituents of
a personality. It works on the principal of triadic reciprocal actions. These three elements can be
applied to illustrate gambling behavior. When a person starts to gamble, he is quite convinced
that gambling is an acceptable form of recreation or enjoyment. According to the social cognitive
theory, our behaviors and decisions are directly governed by our personal beliefs. The wrong
beliefs the gamblers hold have caused them to step into a regretful and unfortunate life- addiction
to gambling. Cognitive misperceptions lead to the development of addictive behavior, which aq
person may consider attractive (Schunk & Usher, 2012). Most gambling addicts view it as an
easy source of experiencing fun and easy money. Such obscure expectations and lead them to
addiction. Moreover, evaluative standards are responsible for guiding the actions. These refer to
the personal beliefs of the person on what and how things are supposed to be. Addictive
gamblers are in a continuous pursuit of mental euphoria and excitement. They view gambling as
a form of entertainment rather than personal harm. Thus, they are driven by internal emotions,
which haunt their minds and drive them to stick to the game of gambling. They fail to realize that
gambling is illegal. Therefore, they continue practicing the game considering it is legal and a
good form of recreation.
Contribution of the theories to understand clinical exposure- Compulsive gambling is the
uncontrollable urge that stimulates the reward system in the brain of an addict and takes a toll on
his life. Understanding and treating addictive gambling is challenging. The two theories can be
analyzed to understand the clinical exposure of the gamble addiction on a person. The social

7ANALYZING GAMBLING BEHAVIOR IN ADULTS
cognitive theory viewed human functioning as a dynamic interaction between behavioral,
personal and environmental influences. The basic principle of this theory can be applied to
identify cognitive distortions, negative thoughts and erroneous perceptions about gambling in a
person that is responsible for influencing the person to continue practicing the game (Tang &
Wu, 2012). Cognitive behavioural therapies (CBT) utilize this information. CBT has been
proved to be effective in identifying potential risks for gambling addiction and treating them.
Once the internal and external factors are identified, the client and the therapist can
collaborate to and devise a problem solving approach to avoid that situation. These methods
work best in highly motivated gamblers. A survey or questionnaire formed on the basis of
the two theories can identify cognitive distortions. Gamblers should be encouraged to follow
a self exclusion ban from the venue, avoid meeting financial partners, cancel credit cards and
refrain themselves from influence of peer groups.
Conclusion- Thus, it can be concluded that addictive gambling is a complicated
biopsychosocial disorder that creates devastating and dramatic consequences on an
individual and his family. The prevalence of legalized gambling makes the situation worse.
The locus of control and social cognitive theory explains the motivation behind such
behaviour. Effective strategies should be developed to identify the psychological cause of
gambling. A thorough analysis of various theories that explain gambling motivation can help
in formulating therapies like CBT and strategies for application on gamblers. Standardization
of such practice guidelines need to be followed to achieve success.

8ANALYZING GAMBLING BEHAVIOR IN ADULTS
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