Dependance on online computer games as a type of addictive behaviour

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Abstract

The article discusses the dependence on online computer games as a kind of addic- tive behavior, analyzing different viewpoints of researchers. The author represents the results of empirical studies of personality and behavioral characteristics of players, which enable to detect statistically significant differences in characteristics such as locus of control (internality / externality) and coping behavior. In the group of players internality level was lower than in the control group, and the frequency of selection of coping strategy avoidance was higher. Moreover, the author found out the correla- tion between these parameters: the level of internality is negatively correlated with the frequency of selection of avoidance strategies. These data indicate that the one of the basic factors, which forms addictive behavior, in particular, addiction to com- puter online games, is the consciousness of the degree of responsibility for one’s live, of opportunities to influence its course. These results open new perspectives for further study of the problem of computer and Internet addiction. In addition to empirical data, obtained as a result of the author's research, the article analyses well-known theoreti- cal concepts and practical work in the field of Internet addiction, coping behavior and locus of control.

General Information

Keywords: Internet addiction, coping behavior, coping strategies, locus of control, internality, externality, interpersonal interaction

Journal rubric: Empirical Research

Article type: scientific article

DOI: https://doi.org/10.17759/sps.2016070308

For citation: Zaretskaya O.V. Dependance on online computer games as a type of addictive behaviour. Sotsial'naya psikhologiya i obshchestvo = Social Psychology and Society, 2016. Vol. 7, no. 3, pp. 105–120. DOI: 10.17759/sps.2016070308. (In Russ., аbstr. in Engl.)

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Information About the Authors

Olga V. Zaretskaya, Graduate student of the Faculty of Social Psychology of the Department of Theoretical Foundations of Social Psychology, Moscow State University of Psychology and Education, Moscow, Russia, e-mail: ovzaretskaya@mail.ru

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