Pathological Internet Use
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PATHOLOGICAL INTERNET USE
In the last half century, addictions have been serious issues affecting physical and psychological health, though it has never been taken seriously enough. Sarafino (1994) described addiction as “a condition, produced by repeated consumption of a natural or synthetic substance, in which the person becomes physically and psychologically dependent on the substance.” Physical dependence involves tolerance of the substance and withdrawal symptoms such as physical discomfort or pain. Psychological dependence involves reliance on a substance due to its effects it has on the user, e.g. feelings of relaxation.
In the late 1990s, a new type of activity addiction has been discovered –Pathological Internet Use. Behaviourists claim that compulsive behaviours are reinforced through classical and operant conditioning, therefore addictions can be learned or unlearned. Humanists believe that humans don’t need reinforcement to do anything but the right environment (self-actualising tendency).
By now the ‘virtual world’ consists of millions of networks world wide...