Amotivational Syndrome and Marijuana Use: An Ongoing Debate
Jesse Love
“Amotivational Syndrome” and Marijuana use:
An Ongoing Debate
November 30, 2008
The positive or negative effects of marijuana usage are a common point of discussion among psychologists. One of the more common debates surrounds “Amotivational Syndrome” (i.e. the purported lack of motivation that results from marijuana use). The existence or non-existence of this “syndrome” has been discussed for over a century among both users and non-users alike (Duncan, 1987, p. 114). The two articles chosen for this essay attempt to determine whether amotivational syndrome is a by-product of marijuana use by applying two separate methods of analysis. By analyzing these articles it will be clear that there is no conclusive evidence that suggests a direct correlation between amotivational syndrome and marijuana use. In 1987, David F. Duncan sought to critique previous studies of marijuana use that claimed amotivational syndrome was a prevalent phenomenon among acute marijuana users. He aimed to challenge previous studies that assumed, in their conclusions, that users of marijuana possessed characteristics of “introversion, passivity, and lack of achievement-orientation” (Duncan, 1987, p. 114). In his introduction, Duncan introduced cross-cultural examples where marijuana use is actually used as a stimulant; for instance in Jamaica, where he compares marijuana use to North American coffee consumption (Duncan, 1987, p. 115). Duncan concludes that only by conducting a comparative study, i.e. by taking a sample of subjects who are both users and non-users, could real evidence for “marijuana-related antimotivational syndrome” be determined (Duncan, 1987, p. 115). Duncan pointed to the flaws a study conducted by Halikas et al. In 1982. Halikas wanted to determine the “lifetime prevalence” of amotivational syndrome in lifetime users of marijuana. To do so, he posed a single question meant to encompass the criterion of amotivational syndrome. The
“Amotivational Syndrome” and Marijuana use:
An Ongoing Debate
November 30, 2008
The positive or negative effects of marijuana usage are a common point of discussion among psychologists. One of the more common debates surrounds “Amotivational Syndrome” (i.e. the purported lack of motivation that results from marijuana use). The existence or non-existence of this “syndrome” has been discussed for over a century among both users and non-users alike (Duncan, 1987, p. 114). The two articles chosen for this essay attempt to determine whether amotivational syndrome is a by-product of marijuana use by applying two separate methods of analysis. By analyzing these articles it will be clear that there is no conclusive evidence that suggests a direct correlation between amotivational syndrome and marijuana use. In 1987, David F. Duncan sought to critique previous studies of marijuana use that claimed amotivational syndrome was a prevalent phenomenon among acute marijuana users. He aimed to challenge previous studies that assumed, in their conclusions, that users of marijuana possessed characteristics of “introversion, passivity, and lack of achievement-orientation” (Duncan, 1987, p. 114). In his introduction, Duncan introduced cross-cultural examples where marijuana use is actually used as a stimulant; for instance in Jamaica, where he compares marijuana use to North American coffee consumption (Duncan, 1987, p. 115). Duncan concludes that only by conducting a comparative study, i.e. by taking a sample of subjects who are both users and non-users, could real evidence for “marijuana-related antimotivational syndrome” be determined (Duncan, 1987, p. 115). Duncan pointed to the flaws a study conducted by Halikas et al. In 1982. Halikas wanted to determine the “lifetime prevalence” of amotivational syndrome in lifetime users of marijuana. To do so, he posed a single question meant to encompass the criterion of amotivational syndrome. The