RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MEANING OF LIFE AND PERMISSIVENESS IN SUBSTANCE USING AND ABUSING ADOLESCENTS

LUCAS RODRIGUEZ; SANTIAGO RESETT; MARIA JOSE ZINONI

Psychiatry and Neurosciences, Update. Volume V

Springer

Lugar: Nueva York; Año: 2022;

Adolescence is a fundamental stage of socio-moral development, where intellectualstructures are consolidated, as well as social interactions with others, such as assuming socialconventions and consolidation of empathy. In this context, it is very important for social lifeto study moral judgment and character education. In addition, existential questions aboutreason for living and meaning of life begin in the context of maturation of cognitivestructures.In this chapter we develop the relationship between meaning of life and moraljudgment (permissiveness and penalization) that adolescents make on substance using andabusing, particularly alcohol, cannabis, and cocaine. The empirical results show a highermeaning of life when it is a greater penalization of the consumption of alcohol, cannabis, andcocaine. In addition, there is a higher meaning of life in less permissive adolescents to theconsumption of cannabis. These results are reflected in the framework of current research andtheories.Current research shows that frequent cannabis users have a higher number of negativeconsequences than occasional users; other studies show that substance abuse affects well-being and family functioning, as well as financial position, physical health, and psychologicalwell-being. For these reasons, the meaning of life in adolescents is considered to be of greatimportance in studying substance use and abuse.