In this view of alcoholism, the alcoholic is thought to have unmet oral needs, originating in the oral stage of life, from birth to about 18 months. It is believed that seeking oral gratification, especially in a bottle, stems from an unconscious death wish and self-destructive tendencies of the id.

• A. Biopsychosocial
• B. Behavioral
• C. Psychoanalytic
• D. Sociocultural

Answer: (C)

This item tests understanding of how the psychoanalytic perspective explains alcoholism through early psychosexual development and unconscious drives. In Freudian theory, the oral stage (birth to about 18 months) is when pleasure centers on the mouth. If needs aren’t properly met or conflicts aren’t resolved, a person can become fixated at this stage. That fixation can lead to adult behaviors that seek oral gratification, such as drinking, as a way to obtain that pleasure. The description also references the death wish and self-destructive tendencies associated with the id, which aligns with Freud’s concept of the death drive (Thanatos) interacting with the primitive, impulsive id to push toward self-destructive acts.

Other theories don’t center on this early-stage, unconscious framework: the biopsychosocial view would emphasize a mix of biology, psychology, and social factors without focusing on a specific early-stage fixation or the death instinct; the behavioral view would look at learned behaviors and reinforcement; and the sociocultural view would highlight cultural and social influences rather than psychosexual development and unconscious drives.