Bachelor of Science in Psychology

17.10.2019: Binge drinking among students: a new addictive disorder? (Pierre Maurage, Université catholique de Louvain)

Adolescence and early adulthood have always been characterized by the emergence of excessive behaviors and risky habits. Among them, binge drinking, an alcohol consumption pattern characterized by intense but intermittent drinking episodes, is still largely present among University students. However, as this consumption is usually conducted during parties and social evenings, it has long been considered as harmless. This talk will describe recent psychological and neuroscience research on binge drinking, showing massive and long-lasting effects of binge drinking on cognitive and brain functions. We will also propose several preventive, clinical and political avenues to reduce this habit among University students.

24.10.2019: How to create new disorders with old receipts? The case of gaming disorder (Joël Billieux, Université du Luxembourg)

Following the inclusion of gaming and gambling disorders in the ICD-11, there is an urgent need to clarify what constitutes behavioural addiction to avoid pathologizing normal behavior. In the last years, an expanding body of research has increasingly classified engagement in a wide range of common behaviours and leisure activities as candidate behavioural addiction, resulting in pathologizing non-clinically relevant behaviors. An important proportion of reviewed studies are characterized by a confirmatory bias (e.g., a priori conceptualization of excessive appetitive behaviors as addictive disorders). The current talk also addresses how these theoretical and methodological flaws have negatively impacted upon the recognition of Gaming Disorder as a legitimate mental condition, despite a convincing research base and a public health need.

07.11.2019: Spielsüchtig? Dann soll er soll doch einfach damit aufhören! ...oder? (Andreas König, Anonym Glécksspiller asbl)

Dass Geld-, Glücks- oder Computerspiele (oder andere exzessiv ausgeübten Verhaltensweisen) zu einer Sucht werden können, ist nicht nur für viele Laien schwer vorstellbar. Auch in der Forschung wird die Eigenständigkeit eines solchen Störungsbildes und seine nosologische Einordnung kontrovers diskutiert. Wie man sich eine solche Störung und deren Entwicklung eigentlich vorstellen kann, und welche Probleme und mögliche Auswege sich für Betroffene, deren Angehörige, aber auch für deren Berater und Therapeuten ergeben, soll in diesem Vortrag anhand von Beispielen aus der Praxis dargestellt werden.

14.11.2019: Examining neural reactivity to gambling cues in the age of sports betting (Damien Brevers, Université du Luxembourg)

The goal of this presentation is to provide new insights as to how and why functional magnetic resonance imaging research on gambling cue reactivity can contribute to significant progress towards the understanding of gambling disorder. Here, we suggest that the recent expansion of online sports betting calls for a new line of research offering a fine-grained and up-to-date approach of neural cue reactivity in gambling disorder. More specifically, we advance that experimental designs manipulating individual-specific and study-specific factors related to sports betting have the potential to foster progress towards efficient treatment and prevention of gambling disorder.

21.11.2019: Systemische Therapie von (Sehn-)Süchten und Abhängigkeiten (Friederike Gerstenberg, Psychologische Privatpraxis)

Süchte und Abhängigkeiten treten in vielen Formen auf. Sie können stoffgebunden und nicht-stoffgebunden sein. Störungsspezifisches Wissen ist für die psychotherapeutische Behandlung essentiell. Aber nicht selten „versteckt“ sich hinter der Sucht eine wesentlich komplexere Thematik. Welche Funktion hat die Sucht? Was erleichtert sie? Was verdeckt sie? Wie sieht diese Therapie aus, bei der es zunächst um ein „sowohl als auch“, die Auflösung von „weder noch“ und den Weg hin zu „keins von beidem“ geht. Ein Vortrag aus der Praxis jenseits von „entweder oder“.

28.11.2019: Too slim is never enough – Addictive aspects of eating disorders (Annika Lutz, Université du Luxembourg)

Disordered eating behaviour has often been compared with substance use disorders. While some individuals with eating disorders seem to be unable to stop eating, others seem to be unable to stop losing weight. Are these cases of food addiction and addiction to slimness? This talk will discuss similarities and differences between disordered eating behaviour and substance use disorders.

05.12.2019: Stationäre Entwöhnungsbehandlung bei Alkoholabhängigkeit (Patrick Burkard, SRH Berufsbildungswerk Neckargemünd)

Der Vortrag gibt einen Überblick über Historie und Rahmenbedingungen der stationären Suchtrehabilitation und aktuelle Konzepte und Behandlungsansätze. Anhand eines Fallbeispiels werden der typische Verlauf, Möglichkeiten, aber auch Probleme und Grenzen einer stationären Suchttherapie dargestellt. Wissenschaftlichkeit, Wirksamkeit, Abstinenzorientierung, Sektorenübergänge ambulant-stationär, Rolle und Status der psychologischen Psychotherapeuten und andere zentrale Themen werden diskutiert.

19.12.2019: The psychology of "swiping": Tinder is not a mere hook-up app! (Lucien Rochat, Université de Genève)

Launched in 2012, Tinder has quickly gained in popularity and now counts over 50 million users worldwide. The reconfiguration of the dating and sexual mating landscape afforded by the Internet would seem to have been accelerated by mobile apps such as Tinder. Consequently, understanding the psychological factors underlying Tinder use is of much importance. Consequently, in this talk, I will present our recent studies that aimed to examine the joint influence of relevant psychological factors (e.g., impulsivity, attachment styles, motives, self-esteem, sexual desire) involved in Tinder use and excessive use. By highlighting the existence of various psychological profiles of users, our findings provide insights into the dynamic relationships between key Tinder use-related factors and shed light on the mechanisms linked to the self-regulation difficulties that may characterize problematic Tinder use. Our results also stress that this app should not be considered a mere “hook-up” tool.