A Puff of Paradox: Conflicting Attitudes of Smokers
Role: Solo Researcher
Class Project
Beyond the Smoke
The typical narrative around smoking in present-day culture is usually centered around health implications(such as heart disease, gum recession, lung capacity, etc), hard facts, and occasionally the monetary burden that comes with smoking. However, the narrative fails to give an understanding of what exactly addiction is and fails to give weight to the individual experience of nicotine addiction. This research serves to broaden anti-smoking rhetoric.
Objective
The objective of this project is to explore the effects of nicotine usage beyond the typical dialogue of health. I sought to explore nicotine’s effect on the individual’s self-perception and self-esteem, the role that shame plays in how nicotine users interact with nicotine products, and the ways in which smoking may create or inhibit social relationships.
Primary Research Questions
In what way(s) does tobacco affect self-perception?
What role does shame play in how the participant interacts with tobacco?
In what ways does smoking promote or inhibit social interaction?
Participants
Participants consisted of people who had smoked consistently for a minimum of 6 months.
5 participants were recruited who have been habitual smokers for 6 months to 50 years.
My participants were between the ages of 25 to 73 years old.
Methodology
Semi-structured interviews
Semi-structured interviews ranged from 30 minutes to two hours.
Grounded Coding & Inductive Coding
Descript was used to transcribe and edit interview audio. Transcriptions were then uploaded to MAXQDA to begin inductive and grounded coding and overarching themes and findings.
Non-Traditional Research Method
Each participant engaged in an activity that asked them to recall how they felt before and after their last smoke. Drawing and writing mediums were then set before them, and they were asked to depict those feelings on each side of the paper provided in the form of a portrait or words.
Key Findings
There is a disconnect between a smoker’s self-perception and a smoker’s perception of other smokers. A few of my participants stipulated that they would look down on, or doubt the abilities of someone who happens to be addicted to nicotine.
Smokers have an additional sense of social self-preservation that non-smokers do not have; they have a fear that their perceived value decreases when it is found that they smoke
There seemed to be a recurring theme of being unhappy with smoking, yet continuing to smoke. My participants resigned to unhappiness as a constant.
Among newer smokers, nicotine addiction seemed to present as a Trojan horse, while older smokers seemed to have a better grasp on their addictions, understanding that nicotine addiction can truly take hold of your life, and at times had taken over their own lives.
When asking smokers to recount their first cigarette, it was almost always in the context of a social setting.
Relfections & Learnings
My interviews spanned 30 minutes to 2 hours depending on the participant. While this generated very thick and rich data, it was fortunate that none of my participants found issue with going over time, and compensation was not expected.
Moving forward, I will improve upon ending interviews at the time initially proposed, and keep interviews on track.