The Pathways Model proposes that there are three subtypes of people with disordered gambling. It also theorizes that erroneous beliefs about gambling are a core feature of disordered gambling. The authors of this study proposed that financially focused self-concept is also a core feature of disordered gambling. People with a financially focused self-concept overvalue financial success as being central to who they are. The authors surveyed people who identified as having a problem with gambling in two separate studies. They found evidence to support the existence of the three subtypes as proposed in the Pathways Model. They also found high levels of erroneous beliefs about gambling and financially focused self-concept across the three subtypes.
