The Process of Finding the Meaning of Life as an Important Component of the Pathogenesis of Alcoholism

On the basis of investigation of alcoholism, the problem of lack of linear correlations in the presence of the simplest non-linear connections, which leads to systemic errors at interpretation of results, is discussed. Specific results demonstrating errors of the 1^st type, when the linear correlation shows values close to zero, are presented. These connections are simply not taken in consideration, but in fact there is a real strong non-linear connection (maximum, minimum) that changes the picture of the phenomenon under study completely. Five types of dependence considered here clearly demonstrate that models of presence and search of life meaningfulness in people suffering from alcoholism obviously do not correspond to linear models. The results on the linear correlation even do not match the criteria of zero hypothesis (“significant” correlation), which also is not a sign of strong correlation at all. Besides, it is possible to see obvious one-sidedness of the represented types of dependences; it indicates that the reason and consequence are determined already at the level of quantitative analysis. It means that problems of life meaning do not correspond to linear models at all, and attempts of linear approximation will lead to fundamental errors at study and interpretation of this phenomenon, when with increase of one parameter another one obligatory demonstrates either only increase or decrease.