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problem gamblers: drama activities (1) interview - Psychologists often use a special list of questions to decide whether or not someone is a problem gambler. - Work in pairs. One partner takes the role of a psychologist, using the list of questions given below. The other partner takes the role of the person being interviewed by the psychologist. When the 'psychologist' has finished asking the questions, switch roles. - do you spend a lot of time thinking and talking about gambling? - have you often tried to stop gambling? - when you can’t gamble do you feel depressed or irritable? - do you ever have trouble sleeping because of your gambling? - do you gamble because, when you do, you forget about your problems - do you gamble because, when you do, you feel happy? - have you ever stolen any money so you could gamble? - have you ever lied to anyone to hide the truth about your gambling? - have you ever lost a husband or wife or a friend because of your gambling? - have you ever lost a job or an educational opportunity because of your gambling? - have you ever had to ask someone for money to help you in a bad situation you got into because of your gambling? (2) the gambling addict and the angry spouse First Partner: - the husband or wife of a problem gambler who is angry because their spouse is spending too much money on gambling (or spending too much time away from home) Second Partner - the problem gambler, calmly defending him or herself by insisting the gambling is not a serious problem - or angrily threatening to leave their spouse if he or she doesn’t stop complaining about the gambling - or admitting they are doing something wrong, expressing guilt, and promising not to gamble in the future) b) the gambling addict and a helpful friend First Partner- a problem gambler who is telling a friend about how much money he or she is making at gambling. Second Partner - a non-gambling friend of a problem gambler who thinks the gambler is lying or is self-deceived. - The friend tries to get the truth by asking the gambler questions and tries to convince the gambler that no one ever wins money in casinos in the long run.
		• a 'psychologist' is someone who has studied the human mind. Psychologists often work with people who have mental problems, interviewing them etc. • actors in movies or plays take the 'roles' of the characters in the play. (For example, Christopher Reeves played the role of Superman.) •an 'interview' is a formal conversation in which one person is getting information from another (a job interview for example, or an interview by a newspaper reporter). ['Interview' can be used as a noun or a verb.] • 'Switch' has a similar meaning to 'change'. If A and B switch roles, A does what B was doing and B does what A was doing. ['Switch' is also a noun as in 'light switch.'] •a 'depressed' person always feels sad and unhappy •an 'irritable' person is someone who gets angry very easily about unimportant things • to 'lie' is to intentionally ('on purpose') say something that is not true. • if you have an 'opportunity' to do something, it is possible for you to do it (you have a 'chance' of doing it). If you have an 'educational opportunity,' it is possible for you to go to a school or university. •a 'situation' is 'the way things are' at a particular time and place. An example of the sort of 'bad situation' mentioned here would be owing a lot of money to someone who was going to kill you if you didn't pay them. - your 'spouse' is your husband or wife. ('Spouse' is a 'general term' for 'husband' or 'wife.' It has the same meaning as 'marriage partner.') • if you do something 'calmly' you are doing it without showing any strong feelings (without being excited, or upset ) • someone who is 'defending' themselves is trying to protect themselves against an attack or criticism. • if you 'insist' on something, you keep saying it even though the person you are talking to says it is not true; or you keep asking someone for something even though they refuse to give it to you. • if you 'complain' about something you are saying that it is bad (that you don't like it) • if someone says you are doing something wrong and you 'admit' it, you agree with them that you did something wrong • 'express' here means to show a feeling or emotion • if you feel 'guilt,' you feel bad because you have done something wrong [the adjectival form is 'guilty'] • to 'make money' means to get money because of work you have done • a person who is 'self deceived' is someone who is telling themselves a lie (not being honest with themselves). In this case the problem gambler believes they are making money from gambling even though they are losing money. [The noun form is 'self-deception.'] • 'in the long run' means over a long period of time.

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