Ina rangona te kupu mōtika (addiction), he maha ngā tāngata ka whakaaro tonu ki te waipiro, te nikotīni, ngā tarukino, me te petipeti. Heoi anō, i ēnei rā kua whānui ake te tirohanga o te mātauranga hinengaro me te neurobiology ki tēnei kaupapa. Ko ngā whanonga katoa e whakaputa ana i te whakamāmā ā-kare ā-roto, e whakahohe tonutia ana rānei te pūnaha utu o te roro (reward system), ka taea te noho hei tauira whanonga pūmau. I ētahi wā, kāore te tangata e rapu ana i te harikoa anake, engari ka tīmata kē te whai, me te kore e mōhio, i ngā āhuatanga e tino nui ai te pēhanga hinengaro, ā, ka whai mai ko te tino mānukanuka ka mutu ki te tino whakamāmā.
Ko te pēhanga hinengaro (stress) he urupare urutau māori a te tinana ki ngā mōrearea o waho, o roto rānei. Ina pā mai tētahi āhuatanga taumaha, ka whakahohehia te pūnaha io aroha (sympathetic nervous system), ā, whai muri mai ko te hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis (HPA axis). Ka tukuna te adrenaline me te cortisol ki roto i te toto, ka tere ake te manawa, ka piki ake te pēhanga toto, ā, ka tere ake hoki ngā urupare me te kaha o te aro. He mea nui ēnei panonitanga mō te urupare wawe ki te mōrearea, ā, kua whai wāhi nui hoki ki te whanaketanga o te tangata i roto i te hītori o te whanaketanga koiora.
Ehara te pēhanga hinengaro i te mea ka pā noa ki te tinana. Ka haere tahi hoki me ngā wheako ā-kare ā-roto kaha. Ina mutu te mōrearea, ka hoki āta te tinana ki tōna āhua taurite. Ka rongo te tangata i te whakamāmā, ā, ka noho taua wheako hei mea whai tikanga ki te hinengaro. Ko tēnei tukanga, e kīia ana ko te whakapakari kino (negative reinforcement), tētahi o ngā pūtake matua o ngā momo whanonga mōtika maha.
I ētahi wā ka tīmata te tangata ki te waihanga anō, me te kore e mōhio, i ngā āhuatanga e hua ai te tino māharahara me te taumahatanga ā-kare ā-roto. Ka whakaroa pea ia i ngā mahi nui kia tata rawa ki te wā whakamutunga, ka uru tonutia ki ngā taupatupatu, ka rapu i ngā mahi tino mōrearea, ka whakaoho raruraru i roto i āna hononga whaiaro, ka kawe rānei i ngā kawenga nui rawa atu. Ina mutu te raruraru, ka puta te tino whakamāmā, ā, ka rongo te tangata i tētahi momo hihiri ā-kare ā-roto. Ka haere te wā, ka tīmata te hinengaro ki te hono i ngā kare kaha ki te ngoi, te hihiko, me te kī tonu o te ao ā-roto.
He mea nui kia mōhio, ehara te adrenaline me te cortisol i ngā matū e whakaputa ana i te mōtika pēnei i ngā matū whakarerekē hinengaro (psychoactive substances). Engari, ka taea e te tangata te waia ki te huringa "taumahatanga – whakakaha – whakamāmā." Ina tukurua tonutia tēnei huringa, ka noho hei tauira whanonga pūmau, ā, ka riro mā te pēhanga hinengaro tonu e whakahaere ngā kare ā-roto.
E whakaatu ana ngā rangahau he nui te pānga o te pēhanga hinengaro mauroa ki te mahi a te roro. Ka panoni te kaha o ngā wāhanga o te roro e whakahaere ana i ngā kare ā-roto, te whakatau kaupapa, me te hanga tikanga whanonga. Mā te kaha ake o te mahi a te amygdala ka kaha ake ngā urupare māharahara, ā, mā te noho roa o te cortisol ka heke pea te pai o te mahi a te prefrontal cortex, arā, te wāhanga o te roro e whakahaere ana i te whai whakaaro, te whakahaere whaiaro, me te aromatawai tōtika i ngā āhuatanga. Nā konei ka uaua ake ki te tangata te whakarerekē i ngā tauira whanonga kua roa e mau ana, ahakoa e mōhio ana ia he kino ngā hua.
He kaupapa whakamere anō te mea e kīia ana i roto i ngā pukapuka mā te marea ko te "mōtika adrenaline." Ko ngā tāngata e rapu tonutia ana i ngā hākinakina tino mōrearea, i ngā mahi rānei e nui ana te tūraru, ka tino rongo pea i te harikoa i ngā wā e tino whakaohoohohia ana rātou. Heoi anō, ehara aua momo mahi i te mate hinengaro i a rātou anō. Ka taea anake te kōrero mō tētahi raruraru ina kore e taea e te tangata te rongo i te pai me te kore e rapu mōrearea, taupatupatu, taumahatanga ā-kare ā-roto rānei, ā, ka tīmata te noho marino o ia rā ki te kitea he hōhā, he pātea, he uaua rānei ki te whakamanawanui.
Ka kitea hoki tētahi tukanga ōrite i roto i te māharahara mauroa (chronic anxiety). Ka waia ētahi tāngata ki te noho tonu i raro i te taumahatanga ā-roto, ā, ka whakaaro koinei te āhua noa o te noho. Ina heke mō tētahi wā poto taua māharahara, ka puta te whakamāmā, ā, ka whakapakarihia ētahi momo whanonga pērā i te hiahia ki te whakahaere i ngā mea katoa, te whakapae tonu ki ētahi atu, me ētahi atu. Nā konei ka tirotiro, ka tirotiro anō te tangata mēnā kua whakawetohia te rino whakamahana i mua i tana wehenga atu i te kāinga. Ko te mea rerekē, ahakoa ka whakaiti ēnei mahi i te māharahara mō tētahi wā poto, ka ārai hoki i te whakawhanaketanga o ngā huarahi hauora ake hei whakahaere i ngā kare ā-roto.
He maha ngā wā ka rangiruatia ēnei tauira whanonga ki te Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), ki te Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) rānei. Heoi anō, he kaupapa motuhake tēnei e tika ana kia kōrerohia i roto i tētahi tuhinga anō.
I roto i ngā mahi haumanu, he mea nui te wehewehe i te hiahia ki te rapu whakaongaonga ā-kare ā-roto me te mōtika tūturu. Kāore ngā hiahia katoa ki te rongo i ngā kare kaha e tohu ana he raruraru hinengaro tō te tangata. Ko ngā paearu matua ko te ngaro haere o te āhei ki te whakahaere i te whanonga, te tukurua tonu ahakoa ngā hua kino, me te iti haere o ngā huarahi e taea ai te rongo i te pai. Mēnā ka taea tonu e te tangata te noho pai i roto i te ao mārie o ia rā, kāore te hiahia nui ki te rapu mea hou, wheako kaha rānei, e tohu ana i tētahi mate.
Ko te whakawhanaketanga o te whakahaere kare ā-roto e pūmau ake ana ka pā ki te ako ki te rongo i te pai, ehara i te mea nā te mutu noa o te taumahatanga, engari nā ngā āhuatanga pērā i te rangimārie o roto, te auahatanga, te whakawhanaungatanga, te ako, me ngā mahi whai tikanga. Ina mutu te whakaaro a te tangata ko te pēhanga hinengaro anake te puna o te kī o te ao ā-kare ā-roto, ka iti ake te tūponotanga kia hangaia ngā huringa pūmau o te whakapakari kino, me ngā tauira whanonga mōtika e pā ana ki aua huringa.