From the concept of addictus to the depathologization process: the psychosocial wealth of the concept of dependency according to Stanton Peele
Far from being a semantic question, the concept of addiction is a major psychosocial benchmark to the extent that the conception and the definition of a condition have a direct impact on the comprehension of the phenomenon in question and on the types of needed services and treatments. Based on a review of the literature, this article focuses on the social trend towards medicalization in the field of addictions. To that end, three aspects will be highlighted: (1) an overview of the medicalization process as a modality of social control ; (2) an illustration on how the psychosocial perspective of Stanton Peele covers a rich corpus that allows us to better understand an impressive variety of human activities and behaviors in a context of addiction ; (3) an attempt to demonstrate how the Peele approach contributes to “de pathologize” and to empower the addicted persons. In conclusion, some avenues for bringing together the medical and the social are suggested.