Internet Addiction

Addiction is defined as a complex disorder whose core diagnostic feature is the repeated urge to use a substance or indulge in certain behaviour despite its negative consequences (Hollen, 2009). Marlatt and colleagues define similarly addictive behaviour as a recurring pattern of behaviour that increases the risk of health, personal or social problems. Addictive behaviour is defined subjectively as experienced loss of control and occurs despite the efforts of abstinence or moderate use. Typically, such a pattern of behaviour is characterized by immediate satisfaction (short-term benefits) and is often accompanied with delayed harmful effects (long-term costs). Attempts to change addictive behaviour (treatment or self-help) are usually characterized by a high degree of relapse (Marlatt et al., 1988).

Experts distinguish between two basic types of addiction: (a) physical addiction, which is reflected by the fact that people are addicted to psychoactive substances due to certain physiological processes that are caused by these substances in the body, and (b) mental or behavioural addiction, when people display basic elements of addictive behaviour in relation to certain activities (Hollen, 2009).

For the latter group of disorders, there are many different terms. In addition to the behavioural addiction other terms are also used such as non-substance addiction (Frascella et al., 2010), non-chemical addiction (Marks, 1990), process addiction (Hollen, 2009).

Griffiths (1996) defines six basic components of behavioural addiction, whose presence in the clinical picture is a condition for establishing this diagnosis: (a) salience (particular activity becomes the most important activity in the life of an individual and dominates his thinking, feelings and behaviour), (b) mood modification following the initiation of an activity that has the character of a coping strategy, (c) tolerance, (d) withdrawal symptoms, (e) interpersonal or intrapersonal conflict, and (f) relapse....