Abstract
In order to identify marihuana and/or cocaine use protective and risk indicators within the context of Maslow’s theory of motivation, we compared the psychological meanings of five key concepts (family, friends, self, cocaine and marihuana) among young male users of marihuana and cocaine, and users of both drugs who requested treatment, and non-drug user students. Results showed differences in the evaluation of five key concepts in the groups, where we found higher evaluations of family, friends and self in non-users (concordant with the psycho-pathogenesis postulate of psychosocial Maslow motivational theory), in addition to lower evaluations of drugs. Taking family, friends, and self as protective indicators, we find satisfaction of deficit needs and indicators that suggest encephalic reward circuit activation, whereas risk indicators are mostly negative components, incompatible with protective indicators. Among risk indicators associated with the substances, we identified positive components that show reward circuit activation. Results correspond with the factors reported in the literature, and we consider it important to explore them in greater depth in order to identify the prevention and treatment needs of each drug user group.
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