In contemporary society, performance and productivity are widely regarded as essential pathways to
success and social prestige. Unsurprisingly, research shows a concurrently growing trend in the use of
pharmacological cognitive enhancers (PCE) by healthy individuals seeking to boost their performance.
Commonly used substances include methylphenidate, amphetamines, and modafinil—drugs typically
prescribed for conditions such as narcolepsy and ADHD. Although neuroscientific evidence for their
effectiveness in non-clinical populations remains limited, their use continues to rise in Western
countries. While ethical debates surrounding PCE use are well-established in ethics and posthumanist
philosophy, little is known about how users themselves interpret and make sense of this practice.
This thesis addresses that gap by exploring the lived experiences of occasional PCE users. Through two
rounds of semi-structured interviews with three participants and interpretative phenomenological
analysis (IPA), the study investigates how users experience PCE and the meanings they attribute to its
use. Two key themes emerged, interpreting i) the adaptive role of PCE in the relationship between
flawed individual and flawed society, and ii) the experience of moral ambiguity surrounding PCE.
The findings suggest that cognitive enhancement is more of an attempt at emotional regulation than an
attempt to increase cognitive abilities: participants use PCE to reduce stress, boredom, and anxiety, and
to increase enjoyment. Participants also highlight a high-pressure, neoliberal environment that demands
constant productivity—often disconnected from personal motivation. In this context, PCE serves as a
coping and adaptation strategy for meeting internalised societal expectations.
Regarding morality, three phenomena closely shape how participants assess their use of PCE. First, the
perceived mildness of PCE’s effects leads them to view the moral questions surrounding it as
negligible. Second, the tension between an awareness of societal disapproval of the PCE use and one's
personal moral identity emerges as the most salient moral concern. Third, the degree of perceived
personal agency influences moral judgment: when life is seen as predetermined, PCE use tends to
appear morally neutral; conversely, if individuals perceive themselves as having agency, their moral
evaluation depends on whether PCE is seen as enhancing or diminishing that agency and ability to
pursue a desired goal.
This study aligns with findings from the limited existing qualitative research regarding the role of
affective components in PCE use. However, to our knowledge, it may be one of the first to empirically
link neoliberal societal pressures to the use and interpretation of PCE. It is also unique in exploring the
underlying components of the moral ambivalence so often associated with its use. Finally, it is the first
qualitative study of PCE conducted in Slovenia.
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