Jack Darkes, Ph.D. is a Clinical Psychologist and currently the Director of the
Psychological Services Center in the Department of Psychology at the University
of South Florida. He is well-known and respected both nationally and
internationally for his research on psychological factors related to substance
use and abuse. He has published numerous book chapters and peer-reviewed
research articles on the role of individual differences, learning, and memory in
substance use and substance-related behavior over the past two decades. He is an
acknowledged expert on the assessment, etiology, and prevention of substance
abuse. He has served on numerous grant projects funded by the National
Institutes of Health and has been funded by the U.S. Department of Education.
During the past decade he has applied his experience to an examination of the
use and behavioral effects of anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) and his
writings on AAS are well-known to readers of various internet fitness and
bodybuilding websites. He has been a Licensed Psychologist in the State of
Florida since 1996. He is an invited scientific reviewer for several journals,
previously served on the Editorial Board of the American Psychological
Association journal Psychology of Addictive Behaviors and is currently a Senior
Editor for the internationally recognized journal Addiction. Dr. Darkes is a
military veteran, having served 10 years active duty in the U.S. Army, attaining
the rank of Sergeant First Class.
While working out recently in a local Gold’s Gym in Latham, New York, a man named Chad Brothers, 32, described as a “gentle giant” by his family, reportedly went berserk, toppling weight machines, throwing dumbbells, and assaulting a patron. After being Tasered numerous times by law enforcement officers and even allegedly taking a Taser from [...]
Just when you thought social control agencies had run out of ways to demonize anabolic steroids, along comes a new study out of Stockholm, Sweden. Funded in part by grants from the intensely anti-steroid World Anti-Doping Agency (although the authors allege that “WADA had no further role in study design; in the collection, analysis and [...]
Muscularity (mesomorphy) has a long-time alleged association with negative characteristics such as assertiveness or even criminality (e.g., Sheldon, 1942). The modern pursuit of muscle has also been demonized via allegations of association with undesirable behaviors; condemnations that seem destined to produce a more formal muscle profiling. Modern “muscle profiling” finds support from Harrison Pope, a [...]
The following is a brief synopsis of a talk given at the 115th Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association (APA) in San Francisco, CA on August 19, 2007. Existing research on substance use has had little impact on the public or researchers’ view of anabolic/androgenic steroids (AAS) and their effects. One reason is morality: [...]
The following is an overview of the scientific literature on the relationship between anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) and aggression. It is intended as a brief informational review without references to the larger literature from which it draws. A more in-depth review of these issues can be found in a series of articles on this topic I [...]
Discussions of the potential role of anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) in suicide surfaced recently when AAS and their use among professional athletes were blamed for several suicides of young adult males. These allegations inspired a congressional investigation and renewed anti-steroid rhetoric, but little dispassionate evaluation. The testimony of experts and grieving parents notwithstanding, the role of [...]
A Brief Overview and Prefatory Comments This article briefly introduces and comments on issues relevant to an appreciation of the psychological effects of anabolic/androgenic steroids (AAS). Few scientific references are included, although a more detailed discussion is planned, so you don’t get off that easily. This article should not be seen as suggesting that AAS [...]
Findings regarding the AAS use and aggression relationship are inconsistent and vary with the nature of the study and design. Although widely accepted as fact, a review finds little, if any, strong evidence for a direct causal relationship. This may, in part, stem from confusion regarding the specific questions that are answerable by various research [...]
The association between the use of anabolic-androgenic steroids (hereinafter referred to as “anabolic steroids” or “steroids”) and aggression (“’roid rage”) has been widely accepted in the culture in general, the mainstream media, and the resistance training subculture. This view has been bolstered by the use of anabolic steroid “induced” rage as a legal defense
