Reasoned Action Theory

One of the most concerning drug epidemics in the country involves adults addicted to opioids. Opioids are a class of drugs which include prescription pain killers and heroin. These drugs are highly addictive even when prescribed by a doctor. The drug is designed to interact with opioid receptors in the brain which send pleasure signals and reduces the pain. The pleasure signals create a feeling of euphoria which lead to the chronic addiction. Adults addicted to opioids seek the reward produced by taking the drug. Opioid addiction is the leading cause for drug overdose and death from the abuse of a substance. The abuse of opioids is a growing national problem impacting people from every socio-economic group and every race. In the United States,
This behavioral intention will be dependent on the person’s attitude towards the behavior and their perception concerning social norms. Theory of Reasoned Action is most commonly applied to the development of clinical intervention designed to change the persons thinking about drug addiction. For the opioid users, the intention is to obtain the feelings of euphoria associated with the drug use. Attitudes and subjective norms aid in predicting whether or not a person will engage in negative behaviors, such as substance abuse. Based on this theory, the intention to perform the behavior will precedes the actual drug abuse
The Theory of Reasoned Action has been directly correlated to drug addiction in many studies and research. The theory is useful for identifying a limited set of variables which can account for a considerable proportion of the variance in any given behavior (Fishbein, 2008). In fact, the integrative model of behavioral prediction employs the use of the Theory of Reasoned Action by supporting the belief the intention is a precedent to the behavior and different environmental factors can influence the behavior (Fishbein,