Cannabis Amotivational Syndrome and Personality Trait Absorption: A Review and Reconceptualization
Imagination, Cognition and Personality September 1, 1994 DOI: 10.2190/uey1-lk8p-h5d0-1gt8
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractThe so-called cannabis "amotivation syndrome" may not be a single disorder but instead a change in cognitive style arising from cannabis's ability to facilitate a unique attentional state favored by individuals with higher levels of the personality trait "absorption." When this absorptive cognitive style is exaggerated through cannabis use in the context of pre-existing or reactive depression, it may be mistakenly categorized as amotivational syndrome.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key finding | Cannabis "amotivation syndrome" may represent an exaggerated absorptive cognitive style in individuals with high trait absorption, particularly when combined with depression, rather than a single nosological entity. |
Abstract
This article argues that the so-called cannabis “amotivation syndrome,” widely reported in the literature, may not be a single nosological entity, but represent, instead, a change in cognitive style emerging as a result of cannabis's ability to facilitate a unique attentional state favoured by those who have a higher than average level of a personality factor referred to as “trait absorption.” Exaggeration of the absorptive style of cognition through cannabis use, when taken in the context of either a pre-existing or a reactive depression, may be what has been mistakenly categorized as “amotivational syndrome.”