manythings said:
You can induce psychological dependency and compulsions with the right tricks. Video game addiction exists in the same way as TV addiction, work out addiction (Bigorexia) and even addiction to buying shit.
EDIT: Also thinking it has anything to do with a "Weak will" or being stupid is fucking stupid in and of itself.
You have no basis for that final statement. Having a weak will can certainly work to tip the scales from habit to obsession to addiction, as a person becomes increasingly
dependent on the subject of the habit/obsession/addiction. A weak will is simply an unwillingness to go without the comfort of a psychological addiction, or an unwillingness to deal with the withdrawal symptoms of a physical/chemical addiction.
You cannot just "wish away" the psychological component of addiction, which comes straight down to a person's willpower. Willpower is a skill that can be taught and bolstered... or neglected and atrophied. Recognizing this isn't the same as "blaming" every addict for their addiction, or removing all compassion for the addict. It's simply recognizing that the
subject of the addiction isn't always the
root cause for the addiction.
Using techniques of conditioning, you
can induce new habits and automated responses, and some of these can
become addictions. You can't, however,
make someone addicted. You can provide the environment and reinforcers, sure, but that's about it. You might cite any number of experiments done with animals to demonstrate the kind of control conditioning can have, but you forget that we, as people, have access to something those animals do not--the ability to
recognize and
resist manipulation, if we are willing.
