Speakers - 2026

Title: A Unified Theory of Addiction

Abstract

This presentation will examine whether displacement activity could serve as the basis for a unified theory of addiction. Displacement activity constitutes a bio-behavioral process that allows an animal to displace stress. Theoretically, displacement activity redirects motivational attentional interference built up in the brain’s attempt to face or avoid a stressful situation (e.g., fight or flight). Attention is rechanneled to another drive (e.g., grooming); thus, the resulting behavior is inappropriate (out of context) for the situation at hand. Normally, displacement activity is adaptive. However, it can become destructive, particularly if the behavior is repetitive. For example, dogs and cats lick their fur to stay clean but also to displace stress. Repetitive licking may denude hair and damage the underlying skin. Similarly, in humans, the brain may not select a healthy displacement activity; for example, a person may overeat or use drugs to cope with stress. Displacement activity may be the link between stress and addiction and account for substance dependence. Furthermore, displacement activity could explain the progression and perpetuation of addiction despite development of tolerance. An intervention based on displacement activity, adaptable for any addiction, has been developed. It involves 1) helping an individual identify problems/stressors that form the basis of motivational attentional interference and 2) implementing strategies to either avoid or resolve these problems/stressors. For sudden urges, an individual may willfully rechannel attentional interference to a benign behavior, such as taking deep breaths or squeezing the fists, to mitigate the urge while dealing with the source of displacement. A clinical trial using this intervention technique to treat eating addiction is currently underway. Trials on other addictions will follow.

What will the audience take away from your presentation?

Explain how the audience will be able to use what they learn? The audience will learn the following:

1) what displacement activity is,

2) how displacement activity can serve as the basis for a single theory and single treatment for all addictions,

3) an intervention based on displacement theory, implemented as a smartphone app,

4) preliminary results from a pilot clinical trial at UCLA treating eating addiction using the smartphone app

How will this help the audience in their job? Is this research that other faculty could use to expand their research or teaching? The presented unified theory of addiction could stimulate further addiction research based on displacement theory. Does this provide a practical solution to a problem that could simplify or make a designer’s job more efficient? Yes, it can treat multiple co-occurring addictions simultaneously. Will it improve the accuracy of a design, or provide new information to assist in a design problem? List all other benefits. The model is clinically intuitive and transdiagnostic, matching real-world comorbidity and relapse under stress. It is grounded in a recognized ethological phenomenon (displacement activity across species) and connects to laboratory analogs (tail-pinch and schedule-induced/adjunctive behaviors). The intervention is practical and scalable (app-based) and frames targets that clinicians and clients can operationalize (stress-source identification, action plans, urge rechanneling, cue avoidance).