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When the end (automatically) justifies the means: Automatic tendency toward sex exchange for crack cocaine.

Year: 2015

Type: article

Abstract: The current research explores the idea that self-defeating behaviors represent means toward individuals' goals. In this quality, they may be automatically initiated upon goal activation without individual's voluntary intention and thus exemplify the long-held idea that the end justifies the means. To investigate this notion empirically we explored one of the most problematic self-defeating behavior: engagement in sex exchange for crack cocaine. This behavior is common among female drug users despite its well-known health and legal consequences. Although these women know and understand the consequences of such behavior, they have a hard time resisting it when the goal of drug obtainment becomes accessible. Indeed, the current study shows that when the accessibility of such a goal is experimentally increased, participants for whom sex exchange represents an instrumental means to drug obtainment are faster to approach sex-exchange targets in a joystick task despite their self-reported intentions to avoid such behavior.

Source: Motivation Science

DOI: 10.1037/mot0000025

Authors: Catalina E. Kopetz, Anahi Collado, Carl W. Lejuez

Institutions: Wayne State University, Emory University, University of Maryland, College Park

Language: English

Topic: Sex work and related issues

Subfield: Sociology and Political Science

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: hybrid

Funder: National Institute on Drug Abuse