1
Theory in Action
College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Grand Canyon University
SOC: 417
2
Role of theory in Drug Abuse
Sociological theories are especially important for understanding drug abuse, which is a
complicated social problem. These ideas show how drug abuse starts and how it affects
communities by giving us ways to look at both individual actions and social factors. We can see
how drug abuse starts and how it impacts communities by looking at both what people do and
how society works. There are three sociological concepts about drug abuse. These are conflict
theory, symbolic interactionism, and structural functionalism. Each of these theories looks at
drug abuse from a different angle. Some individuals engage in drug use because of the way that
society is structured, according to the structural functionalism theory. Some individuals turn to
drug abuse as a means of coping with stress and adjusting to the expectations that society places
on them. For instance, when individuals do not have a family or a lot of support in their society,
they may resort to drugs as a means of coping with their problems. According to conflict theory,
individuals will engage in drug usage as a result of unjust social inequity and power conflicts that
exist throughout society. According to conflict theories, there is a connection between drug
, usage and poverty. This is due to the fact that those who are wealthy are able to get assistance for
their addiction to drugs, but those who are poor are unable to receive assistance and are instead
sent to prison or given harsh punishments. The last theory, symbolic interactionism, investigates
the signals and messages that are associated with drug use. According to the theory of symbolic
interactionism, drug usage is not just about the substances themselves, but also about the manner
in which individuals use drugs and what they believe they imply when they interact with other
people. Certain people, for instance, may engage in drug abuse because their peers have told
them that doing so makes them look cool, leading them to believe that it is a positive thing to do.
(Sociology, 2024).
Theory in Action
College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Grand Canyon University
SOC: 417
2
Role of theory in Drug Abuse
Sociological theories are especially important for understanding drug abuse, which is a
complicated social problem. These ideas show how drug abuse starts and how it affects
communities by giving us ways to look at both individual actions and social factors. We can see
how drug abuse starts and how it impacts communities by looking at both what people do and
how society works. There are three sociological concepts about drug abuse. These are conflict
theory, symbolic interactionism, and structural functionalism. Each of these theories looks at
drug abuse from a different angle. Some individuals engage in drug use because of the way that
society is structured, according to the structural functionalism theory. Some individuals turn to
drug abuse as a means of coping with stress and adjusting to the expectations that society places
on them. For instance, when individuals do not have a family or a lot of support in their society,
they may resort to drugs as a means of coping with their problems. According to conflict theory,
individuals will engage in drug usage as a result of unjust social inequity and power conflicts that
exist throughout society. According to conflict theories, there is a connection between drug
, usage and poverty. This is due to the fact that those who are wealthy are able to get assistance for
their addiction to drugs, but those who are poor are unable to receive assistance and are instead
sent to prison or given harsh punishments. The last theory, symbolic interactionism, investigates
the signals and messages that are associated with drug use. According to the theory of symbolic
interactionism, drug usage is not just about the substances themselves, but also about the manner
in which individuals use drugs and what they believe they imply when they interact with other
people. Certain people, for instance, may engage in drug abuse because their peers have told
them that doing so makes them look cool, leading them to believe that it is a positive thing to do.
(Sociology, 2024).
