Why do Smokers Smoke? A Survey of the Various Approaches to the Question of Smoker Motivation

Abstract

There are at least as many answers to the question “Why do smokers smoke?” as there are scientific disciplines concerned with this subject. It is not surprising that the replies differ. Physicians and pharmacologists emphasize biochemical and physiological factors, while psychologists seek an answer in personality structures or the identification process which occurs during infancy. Naturally, social psychologists and educationalists concentrate on patterns of learning within the family, at school or in the peer group, whereas sociologists consider the significance of social norms and changes in the “social support system of smoking”.