Index IntroductionMeaning of AddictionThe Incentive Salience TheoryEvidence for Incentive Salience TheoryThe Effectiveness of Incentive Salience Theory and Its ImplicationsConclusionIntroductionHuman beings are rational organisms of society. This means that the decisions made by them are logical and rational in nature. It is this characteristic and unique character of humankind that distinguishes it from other living species in the community. Rationality refers to that state of mind in which living organisms try to judge a particular situation that presents itself in front of them and make decisions that are most likely to help them solve the problem. There is no impact on emotions in these cases of rationalization and logical argumentation. This is significant to understand since the level of rationalization present in a particular individual depends on the level of his or her cognitive development. However, it is often observed that there are many individuals in society who often fail to rationalize their decisions or judgments. Such situations could occur for a variety of reasons and are particularly seen in cases of addiction that may be experienced by the affected individual. Addiction plays a fundamental role in determining a person's life choices. When a person suffers from addiction, they often cannot rationalize the decisions that are made when the issue of addiction comes into play. In these times the human beings involved thus lose their sense of judgments and their specific characterization which makes them first and foremost human beings. In this context, a person's psychology can be analyzed and examined in a relevant way (Hickey & Peelen, 2015). The purpose of this essay is to understand the theory of Incentive Salience in which a person's behavior is judged and analyzed in cases of addiction. Furthermore, the essay also provides evidence of this theory in order to validate the findings of the theory. The essay concludes with the discussion on the effectiveness of the theory, i.e. whether it can lead to the effective treatment of addiction experienced by various human beings in society. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get Original Essay Meaning of Addiction It is often observed that human beings in the society are addicted to a particular substance. Addiction refers to the state in which an individual feels that he or she is unable to function effectively without resorting to the substance to which he or she is addicted. This is significant in nature as the substances an individual is addicted to have the potential to destroy the lives of those affected. The different substances to which a person can generally experience an addiction are those of alcoholic beverages, tobacco and drugs of various kinds. All of these substances have the ability to inhibit a person's rational side to the point that they can no longer think logically about their life decisions. They become addicted to such different substances and believe that without them they would have a very difficult time living. It is this state of thinking that causes a person to deal with addiction. There are several reasons that lead to addiction within a person. One of the main reasons for the appearance of addiction among people is related to monetary issues (Shamay-Tsoory & Abu-Akel, 2016). It is often observed that people face the problem of limited money where they do not have enough money to enjoy a higher standard of living. This has a serious negative impact on the lives of those affected as they oftenthey feel helpless and frustrated. As a result, they resort to different substances that could help them overcome the pain they feel. In this regard, the issue of addiction comes into play when people become addicted to such substances. Another reason that could lead a person to addiction is personal relationship problems. It is possible that such problems occur in the families of the affected people or among their loved ones. These problems often place mental stress on people's minds. They are unable to cope with such stress and therefore wish to find ways to not have to deal with their thought processes. In such a situation, it can be seen that such worried people try to find relief from various other sources which have the power to make one forget their feelings for a short period of time. These substances once again have the ability to create addiction if they are misused by the affected people. In this regard it can be said that these people become addicted to substances because of their feelings. From the analysis of these two situations it can be observed that people often become addicted when they face certain problems and issues in their life that they are unable to deal with it in a healthy way. In times when they do not have a solution to their problems, people seek support and help from those substances that have the ability to numb their feelings for a considerable period of time so that they do not have to face their problems or be mentally stressed. In such circumstances, it can be seen that they start abusing the use of some substances which have the power to interfere with their cognitive thinking ability. Such substances become addictive substances due to the fact that they have been misused by the affected people. It is such misuse of the products that leads a person to become addicted to that particular product. Incentive Salience Theory Addiction is the result of excessive craving for a particular substance. The various reasons mentioned above cause a person to become highly dependent on the use of a particular substance which affects the cognitive thinking ability of the individual (Beckmann & Chow, 2015). This is of a significant nature as such substances have the potential to have a negative impact on the working efficiency of the person in question. This is the result of the numbness experienced in the person's cognitive functioning. The individual's decision-making power is affected and they begin to lose the ability to think and function efficiently. From this it is therefore understood that various addictive substances are capable of inhibiting the mental process of an individual. They can no longer rationalize their decisions and therefore cannot think in logical terms (Ito, Ida & Tanaka, 2018). This not only reduces their workability but also begins to negatively impact their life chances. Furthermore, the initial problems begin to worsen as they no longer have the ability to think logically that would have helped them find a suitable solution to the situation. Therefore, there is an imminent need to control the addictive habit experienced by people in the society. They must be able to control their emotions and life opportunities. To control addiction among people, there are various psychological ideas and theories (Bickel et al., 2018). The branch of psychology tries to understand human behavior so that different people engaged in this field can provide better solutions to people who are facing certain crises in life. Addiction is one of the most critical crises an individual can face in their life.To address this level of addiction, psychologists need to address the root cause of the problem. In this regard, the theory of incentive salience was formulated. Incentive salience theory emphasizes that addiction occurs in an individual due to his excessive craving for a particular substance or product.Therefore, there is a need for psychologists or doctors to reduce the need for such a substance by a person. This is done with the help of motivation. This theory seeks to motivate people so that they are able to control their addiction to the extent that this would not cause much trouble to the life choices of the affected people. Incentive salience theory is significant in nature as it seeks to address the person's own behavior. The problem of addiction can be analyzed to be rooted in an individual's behavior. If this problem is addressed significantly, then there is a possibility that the person's addiction problem can be solved to a significant extent. Incentive salience theory seeks to provide motivation to individuals so that they can be inspired to let go of their addiction (Berridge, 2017). In other words, incentive salience theory attempts to appeal to the very soul of individual people. Furthermore, it also tries to appeal to the cognitive level of the person. The level of cognitive thinking that can be observed in an individual is partly a result of the various experiences he or she may have had in his or her life. All these experiences provide important life lessons to the person from a moral and ethical point of view. The characterizing trait of every individual is that of his ability to rationalize the decisions and judgments that are adopted by him. This is negatively affected by the different substances a person is addicted to. Evidence for Incentive Salience Theory We have attempted to demonstrate the effectiveness of Incentive Salience Theory in various circumstances. One of the experiments conducted involved the case of administering a drug known as amphetamine to affected humans (Ostafin & Feyel, 2019). This is done with the aim of sensitizing an individual towards a particular activity. For example, responses that flash. This has a special meaning for drug addicts in society. An addict's attention span is based on the visual representation of the drug in front of him. This serves as a signal to drug addicts who feel the need to consume the drugs available to them. This experiment demonstrated that it is the person's behavior that must be changed over time. If the behavior of the affected person is adequately addressed, his or her desire to take drugs is influenced to a considerable extent. Through incentive salience theory, we try to modify the actions of individuals by motivating them not to consume such drugs. The factor of motivation influences the cognitive thinking process of the person. This means that psychologists strive to influence the psychology of the person. An attempt is made to reform the basic behavior of the individual with the help of incentive salience theory. The Effectiveness of Incentive Salience Theory and Its Implications The effectiveness of incentive salience theory can be judged by the various successes this theory has had on human civilization. Different psychologists have attempted to influence the behavior of individuals suffering from addiction. Incentive salience theory is for people who suffer from addiction to various substances and become addicted to these substancesdue to their personal reasons. In this regard, incentive salience theory is seen to attempt to influence vulnerable people with the element of motivation. Motivation is a psychological concept whereby one tries to reform the person's mind in a particular direction. It is the subconscious mind of the individual that is affected as a result of motivation. Therefore, it can be observed that attempts are made to change a person's psychology. This helps bring about a change in their addictive behavior. Therefore, incentive salience theory can be seen to be effective in treating different cases of addiction. This is due to the fact that addiction to a certain substance depends on the mental structure of the individual in question. If he or she decides to become addicted to the substance, then there is much less chance that the individual will follow any other thought process. In this regard, the importance of the individual's cognitive development process comes into consideration. A person's cognitive development occurs as a result of the different experiences he or she undergoes throughout his or her life. Furthermore, it is also the result of the knowledge that one absorbs during different stages of life development. The combination of these two helps a person to effectively judge a particular situation and make a decision considered best suited to the circumstances. This is also applicable in those moments when a person faces problems. In this regard it can be said that if the person has an efficient level of cognitive development, then he will be able to judge a situation in a more rational and logical way and will be able to find the appropriate solution in step with the times. However, if the person's cognitive development is weak, then he will not be able to make the proper decision to resolve the situation effectively. This further affects the relative life choices of individuals. Therefore, strong development of a person's cognitive thinking ability is necessary for him or her to handle the different hurdles and obstacles in life. If this does not happen, then there is a probable possibility that the individual will succumb to addiction whenever he faces a problem in life. To prevent this from happening, incentive salience theory is used. According to this theory, individuals suffering from addiction receive a certain type of reward and recognition if they show attitudes that predict that they have been able to reduce their drug-taking habit. This is significant as it seeks to influence people regarding their subconscious nature. If you appeal to an individual's subconscious factor correctly, he is likely to change his behavior. This is in contrast to attempts made to change a person's behavior in an outward way. During these times it can be observed that affected people often hold back when they realize that someone is intentionally trying to change their behavior. This is due to the fact that in these moments they feel the loss of their character in the hands of another. Every individual wants to be responsible for their own destiny and thought process even in times of crisis. The moment they begin to feel that another individual is attempting to change their behavior and their individual, they begin to resist this effect. This is significant to understand since incentive salience theory seeks to change a person's behavior without making them aware. This is where the element of motivation comes into play. Therefore, it can be argued that incentive salience theory is capable of changing a person's drug habits with the help of motivational factors..