A. Egorov, N. Kuznetsova, E. Petrova

The last two decades have been marked by the ubiquity of the Internet in both professional and everyday life of tens of millions of people. Through the Internet, purchases are made, communication takes place, information about all aspects of life is taken, sexual and gaming addictions are realized, and much more. As Israeli psychologists Y. Amichai-Hamburger and E. Ben-Artzi (2003) rightly point out, “it seems that there is no such aspect in life that the Internet would not affect.” All this led to the fact that for society it became actual problem pathological use of the Internet, abroad, marked back in the late 80s. In the mid 90s. of the last century, to designate this phenomenon, I. Goldberg (1996) proposed the term “Internet addiction” (modern synonyms: non-tagolism, virtual addiction, Internet behavioral addiction, excessive / pathological use of the Internet, etc.), as well as a set of diagnostic criteria for determining dependence on the Internet, built on the basis of signs of a pathological addiction to gambling (gambling). According to Western sources, the prevalence of this disorder is from 1 to 5% of the population (Griffits, 2000; Young, 1998); in Russia, there is also a steady increase in “non-Tagolics” (see Voiskunsky, 2004). According to Korean researchers, 38% of high school students have a possible Internet addiction (Kim et al., 2005). As the monitoring data of the audience of Internet users show (www.monitoring.ru) in Russia from 1992 to 2004. the proportion of adolescents increased from 2% to 25%, i.e. Teenagers are becoming more and more active users of the Internet, in connection with which the cases of Internet addiction among young people are increasing.

It is known that Internet addiction is heterogeneous in its typology and, according to K. Young (Young, 1998), includes five types of addiction: obsessive addiction to working with a computer (games, programming or other activities); compulsive WWW navigation, search in remote databases; pathological attachment to Internet-mediated gambling, online auctions or electronic purchases; dependence on social applications of the Internet, i.e. from communication in chat rooms, group games and teleconferencing, which can eventually lead to the replacement of existing family and friends in real life with virtual ones, as well as dependence on "cybersex", i.e. from pornographic sites on the Internet, discussion of sexual topics in chats or closed groups "for adults".

M. Griffiths (1998) hypothesized that Internet addiction can be formed on the basis of various forms of using the Internet: a possible means of communication in the absence of face-to-face contact, interest in the direct content of the site (for example, porn sites), online social activity (for example, , chatting or multiplayer games). Arguing with K. Yang, M. Griffiths (1999) argues that many heavy Internet users are not actually Internet addicts, but use the network to implement other addictions. Unlike M. Griffiths, J. Kandell (1998) defined Internet addiction as a pathological dependence on the Internet, regardless of the form of activity on the network. Expanding the definitions of Internet addiction K. Yang, R. Davis (2001) proposed a cognitive-behavioral model of pathological Internet use. He distinguished two forms of Internet addiction, which he designated as Specific Pathological Internet Use and Generalized Pathological Internet Use. The first form is a dependence on some specific function of the Internet (online sex services, online auctions, online stock trading, online gambling). The theme of addiction remains, and can also be implemented outside the Internet. The second form is non-specialized, multi-purpose Internet overuse and includes spending a lot of time on the net without a clear purpose, chatting, e-mail addiction, i.e. largely associated with social aspects Internet. In our opinion, the phenomenon of Internet addiction is a collection of groups of different behavioral addictions (workaholic, communication, sexual, love, gaming, etc.), where the computer is only a means of their implementation, and not an object (Egorov, 2005).

Despite great interest, especially in online publications, Scientific research Internet addictions in our country are still unsystematized and relatively few in number (see Voiskunsky, 2004). In this regard, it is of interest to study the psychological, in particular, personal, characteristics of those who have become dependent on the Internet.

Previous studies show that among Internet addicts there are more high level affective with a predominance of depression and obsessive-compulsive disorders (Kraut et al., 1998; Shapira et al., 2000), as well as masked depression in the framework of low-progressive schizophrenia (Dzholdygulov et al., 2005). Korean researchers have found higher rates of depression with an increased risk of suicide in high school students with Internet addiction (Kim et al., 2005). Studying personality traits using the Eysenck questionnaire in Internet addicts, Y. Hamburger and E. Ben-Artzi (2000) found that introverts and extroverts use different Internet resources, while in men, extraversion positively correlates with the use of the Internet "for fun", and neuroticism is negatively associated with the use of information sites. In women, extraversion was negatively correlated, and neuroticism was positively correlated using Internet information resources. Later, the same authors found that Internet addicts, predominantly female, are characterized by a feeling of loneliness, which they try to reduce by spending time chatting (Amicai-Hamburger, Ben-Artzi; 2003). The American researcher S. Caplan (2002) identifies the following personality traits of Internet addicts: depression, loneliness, modesty, and pride. Summarizing the results of various studies, N.V. Chudova (2002) gives the following list of features of an Internet addict: difficulty in accepting one's physical "I" (one's body); difficulties in direct communication (isolation); tendency to intellectualization; feeling of loneliness and lack of mutual understanding (possibly associated with difficulties in communicating with the opposite sex); low aggressiveness; emotional tension and some tendency to negativism; the presence of at least one frustrated need; independence appears as special value; ideas about the ideal "I" are undifferentiated, overstated or even unrealistic; low self-esteem; tendency to avoid problems and responsibility.

The purpose of this work was to study the personality characteristics of Internet addicted adolescents compared to their peers who do not have signs of any addiction.

Object and methods of research

The object of the study were 75 male adolescents with Internet addiction, aged 13-18 years, of which 57 were visitors to computer clubs and Internet cafes, and 18 were selected based on the results of answers to online psychological research questionnaires posted on the website www. researchzone.narod.ru. Signs of Internet addiction were determined according to the criteria of K. Young (2000):

1. Absorption by the Internet;

2. The need to spend more and more time online;

3. Repeated attempts to reduce Internet use;

4. When you stop using the Internet, you experience withdrawal symptoms that cause anxiety;

5. Time control problems;

6. Problems with the environment (family, school, work, friends);

7. Lies about time spent online;

8. Changing the mood through the use of the Internet.

In addition, a questionnaire was used by E.A. Shchepilina, which includes 67 questions on 12 scales and takes into account: 1) dependency factors; 2) features of perception of the Internet; 3) the consequences of addiction.

The control group consisted of 36 teenagers, students of the St. Petersburg Naval School, teenagers from 16-18 years old, as well as 35 students of grade 9 high school St. Petersburg. In addition, the study involved 18 teenagers, visitors to Internet clubs, without signs of Internet addiction.

For the study of personal characteristics, the following were used: 1) a test of personal accentuations by V.P. Dvorshchenko (modified version of the PDO methodology) (Dvorshchenko, 2000); 2) 16-factor personality questionnaire by R. Cattell (modified by L. A. Yasyukova); 3) Dembo-Rubinshtein self-assessment research methodology (modified by A.M. Prikhozhan); 4) test "Self-attitude" by V. Stolin and S. Patileev (Pantileev, 1993). This version of the questionnaire allows you to identify three levels of self-attitude, which differ in the degree of generalization:

• global self-attitude as an integral feeling for or against one's "I";
• self-attitude, differentiated by self-esteem, self-sympathy, self-interest and self-relationship expectations;
• the level of specific actions (readiness for them) in relation to one's "I" (self-guidance, self-consistency, self-acceptance).

According to the “Internet Perception” scales, statistically significant differences were revealed between the groups of Internet-addicted and Internet-independent adolescents (P

• belonging to a network subculture;
• non-purposeful behavior;
• need for sensory stimulation;
• change in the state of consciousness as a result of using the Internet;
• perception of the Internet as better, preferable, in comparison with real life;

• preference for communication via the Internet;
• time spent on the Internet;
• perception of the Internet as a projective reality;
• animation of the Internet;
• the desire to transfer the norms of the virtual world into the real one.

The results of the study of character accentuations showed that adolescents with schizoid (29.8%), hysteroid (19.3%), labile and epiletoid (12.3% each) types of accentuation prevail among Internet addicts. Less common were unstable and psychasthenic accentuants (7% each), and in isolated cases astheno-neurotic (5.3%) and hyperthymic (3.5%). In the control group hyperthymic (22.2%) cycloid (19.4%) psychasthenic (16.7%) and sensitive (13.8%) types of personality accentuation prevailed. Unlike the group of addicts, hysteroid (11.1%), epileptoid (8.3%) and schizoid (5.6%) types of accentuations were significantly less common. The results obtained partially echo earlier studies, one of which stated that unstable and schizoid accentuators are more susceptible to the risk of developing Internet addiction (Korolenko, Dmitrieva, 2000), and in the other, sensitive-schizoid and unstable ones (Andreev, Antsyborov ).

Among Internet addicts, the risk of possible personality disorders (psychopathy) and social maladaptation was significantly more common (Table 1).

It is known that various addictions can easily transform into one another, including non-chemical (in this case, Internet addiction) into chemical addictions (Egorov, 2004). In the surveyed Internet addicts, the risk of alcoholism and drug addiction turned out to be significantly higher than in the control (Table 2), which confirms the earlier opinion about a certain similarity of the psychological characteristics of the individual with a tendency to addictive behavior (Egorov, 2004; Korolenko, Dmitrieva, 2000; Mendelevich , 2003). The comorbidity of addiction and personality disorders is also generally recognized at the present time.

A study of the sphere of needs using R. Cattell's 16-factor personality questionnaire showed that in the control and experimental groups there is a clear qualitative difference in the needs of adolescents in communication (Table 3).

According to the method of R. Cattell, three factors were considered: 1) Factor A - "isolation-sociability" - designed to measure sociability in groups; 2) Factor H - "timidity-courage" - determines the reactivity to the threat in social situations and determines the degree of activity in social contacts; 3) Factor Q 2 - "conformism-nonconformism" - determines the degree of independence from the group, environment. In the control group, the predominance of the "sociable" type of communication was revealed. Among Internet addicts, it turned out that adolescents, having a high, dominant need for close, “heart-to-heart” communication (high scores on factor A and Q 2), at the same time do not have sufficient social courage (factor H) to establish relationships with other people in the real world. Internet addicts are low adaptive and shy, which prevents them from finding people close to themselves and establishing close trusting relationships with both peers and adults. It is possible that the satisfaction of their needs for support, approval, communication is shifting from the framework of everyday life to virtual life. In general, adolescents with addictions have a frustrated need for communication, which the Internet replaces for them. This echoes previous findings of feelings of loneliness as an important personality trait contributing to Internet addiction (Amichai-Hamburger, Ben-Artzi; 2003; Caplan, 2002).

Self-esteem of Internet addicts turned out to be significantly lower than in the control group (40.1 versus adequate 62.6 in control, according to the Dembo-Rubinstein method; P

The following results were obtained on the Self-Attitude scales (Fig. 1):

1) There are significant differences in the severity of the integral feeling for/against one's Self (p

2) Significant differences were found in self-interest as a modality of self-attitude (p

3) Between Internet-addicted and Internet-independent adolescents, statistically significant differences were found in the severity of self-blame (as the level of specific actions in relation to oneself) (p

4) Significant differences were revealed between groups 1 and 2 in terms of the severity of self-interest, as the level of specific actions in relation to oneself, (p

Correlation analysis of the data revealed the following features of self-attitude in Internet-dependent adolescents:

• The absence of correlations between the intergale feeling in relation to one's self and other factors of self-attitude.
• Lack of significant links with factors of self-understanding and self-interest.
• Factors of self-acceptance, expectations positive attitude Others, self-confidence, self-sympathy and attention to the attention of others are of great functional importance in the system of self-relationship among Internet-addicted adolescents, however, the self-relationship of this group does not have a single system-forming factor.
• The leading level in self-assessment is the emotional level.
• The leading level of concrete actions is self-acceptance.

It can be assumed that for an Internet addict such a changed self-perception is desirable and approved by him and the virtual community with which he actively interacts. Accordingly, with the help of the Internet, a departure from the present self is realized.

Thus, the data obtained indicate that adolescents with signs of Internet addiction differ significantly from non-addictive peers both in character and in the ability to communicate, self-esteem and the structure of self-attitude.

The relative predominance of schizoid accentuators among Internet addicts, apparently, is associated with the peculiarities of online activity - this is a certain departure from reality, which is characteristic of schizoids. Quite a large number of persons with hysterical accentuation may seem unexpected, who, in theory, should strive to constantly be “in sight”, where they could show their demonstrative features. We believe that this is the part of hysterical adolescents whose needs are frustrated in the real world, and they strive to realize their hysterical traits in virtual world(for example, it can be acquaintance and communication in chats, which has elements of pseudology on the part of hysteroids). In terms of character traits, Internet addicts also differ from adolescents with chemical addiction, where hyperthymic, unstable, epileptoid and hysteroid types of accentuations predominate, and schizoids are extremely rare (see Lichko, Bitensky, 1991; Egorov, 2003). At the same time, an increased tendency to alcoholism and drug addiction, found in Internet addicts, indicates the presence of common psychological traits in individuals prone to various forms of addictive behavior.

Such personality traits of Internet-addicted adolescents as communication problems, feelings of loneliness, low self-esteem, a tendency to avoid problems and responsibility, leaving the real self in the virtual world (as one of the options for “escape” according to Peseschkian), apparently contribute to both involvement in Internet addiction, and at the same time are risk factors for social maladjustment and transition to chemical forms of addictive behavior.

Literature

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CHAPTER I. THEORETICAL AND METHODOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF STUDYING THE PHENOMENON OF INTERNET DEPENDENCE IN ADOLESCENTS.

1.1. Internet addictive behavior. Clinic, diagnostics.

1.1.1. Approaches to determining the nosological affiliation of Internet addiction

1.1.2. Classification of types of Internet addiction.

1.1.3. Criteria for diagnosing Internet addiction.

1.1.4. Epidemiology. The prevalence of Internet addiction.

1.1.5. Phenomenology of Internet addiction.

1.1.6. Etiology: the formation and dynamics of the development of Internet addiction

1.1.6.1. Models of the formation of Internet addiction.

1.1.6.2. The dynamics of the development of Internet addiction.

1.1.7. Comorbidity (Internet addiction and other mental disorders).

1.1.7.1. Mood disorder and depression.

1.1.7.2. Obsessive Compulsive Disorders and Disorders. impulse control.

1.1.7.3. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

1.1.7.4. Other mental disorders.

1.2. Risk factors for addictive behavior.

1.2.1. biological factors.

1.2.2. social factors.

1.2.3. Psychological factors.

1.3. Features of mental development in adolescence.

1.3.1. Age factors the risk of developing addictions in adolescents.

1.3.2. Emotional and social intelligence - as indicators of a teenager's communicative competence.

Introduction to the thesis (part of the abstract) on the topic "Individual psychological characteristics of adolescents with Internet addictive behavior"

Dissertation conclusion on the topic "Medical psychology", Khomeriki, Nina Sergeevna

List of references for dissertation research candidate of psychological sciences Khomeriki, Nina Sergeevna, 2013

Please note that the scientific texts presented above are posted for review and obtained through original dissertation text recognition (OCR). In this connection, they may contain errors related to the imperfection of recognition algorithms. There are no such errors in the PDF files of dissertations and abstracts that we deliver.

Computer networks, as a type of telecommunications, are a fundamentally new layer of social reality. The most widely used computer network in our time is the Internet, also known as the World Wide Web. You no longer need to go to the cinema, to a concert of your favorite band, stay in the library, bother yourself with shopping, you can get all the information you need without leaving your monitor screen. A new type of psychological disorder has appeared - Internet addiction.

In this paper, the problem of Internet addiction in adolescents is studied, since this age is most susceptible to various deviations in behavior. The relevance of the study of the psychological consequences of Internet addiction in adolescence is determined, firstly, by the constant increase in the number of adolescents and young men - Internet users (about 40% at present); secondly, by the fact that excessive addiction to the Internet has a destructive effect on the child, causing a negative impact on the psyche; thirdly, the lack of in-depth research in this area due to the relative novelty of the phenomenon of Internet addiction, which until now has not been practically considered in the Russian-language literature. Extremely few works are devoted to the problem of Internet addiction among teenagers. And this is another reason why the psychological study of the negative side of Internet-mediated activity is a relevant and promising area in research activities.

The purpose of the study: to study the psychological aspects of the influence of Internet addiction on the personality of a teenager.

In this regard, the following tasks can be set:

1. Find out the degree of development of the problem in the literature.

2. Theoretically explore the psychological characteristics of Internet addiction.

3. Reveal the significance of the connection between Internet addiction and the psychological properties of a teenager's personality. Consider the impact of Internet addiction on the personality of a teenager.

Object: Internet addiction in adolescence.

Subject: the impact of Internet addiction on the personality of a teenager.

Research hypothesis: Internet addiction contributes to the negative transformation of the personality of a teenager, since at this age, cardinal changes in the formation of personality occur in a relatively short period of time.

Research methods:

1. Studying the literature on the research topic.

2. Theoretical analysis of psychological research conducted on this issue.

The theoretical provisions of our study are based on the ideas of Goldberg A., Voiskunsky A.E., Zhichkina A.E., Egorov A.Yu., Korolenko Ts.P., Young K. and other specialists, about such consequences of using computer technologies Internet addiction. Electronic sites and mass media devoted to this problem were also used as sources. The scientific novelty of the study is determined by the insufficient development of this problem in the socio-psychological literature. Practical significance. The results of the study may be useful to school psychologists in the context of psychological counseling for Internet users and for the prevention of Internet addiction in adolescence. Course work consists of an introduction, two chapters, conclusions, conclusions, bibliography and applications.

internet addiction adolescence

Chapter I. Internet Addiction: Problem Statement, Study Methods, Practice

Background

The term "Internet Addiction" was coined by Dr. Ivan Goldberg in 1996 to describe an unnecessarily long, possibly pathological, stay on the Internet.

Two Americans can be considered the founders of the psychological study of Internet addiction phenomena: clinical psychologist K. Young and psychiatrist A. Goldberg. Goldberg in 1995 proposed a set of diagnostic criteria for determining Internet addiction. In 1997-1999 research and consultative-psychotherapeutic web services on this issue were created. In 1998-1999K. Young, D. Greenfield and C. Surratt published the first monographs. By the end of 1998, Internet addiction was actually legalized - not as a clinical direction in the narrow sense of the word, but as a branch of research and the sphere of providing practical psychological assistance to people.

Currently, modern problems of the psychology of dependence (or addiction) are being actively considered, associated with attempts to identify the so-called behavioral forms of addictions (addictions). The analysis is based on the currently actively discussed and at the same time problematic dependence on the Internet. In fact, the question is raised about the variety of ways to "leave" from real life by changing the state of consciousness.

Among domestic specialists, Ts.P. consistently defends the self-sufficiency of psychological forms of addictions. Korolenko. “Elements of addictive behavior,” he writes together with N.V. Dmitrieva, “are characteristic of any person who escapes from reality by changing his mental state. The problem of addictions begins when the desire to escape from reality, associated with a change in mental state, begins to dominate in consciousness, becoming a central idea that invades life, leading to a separation from reality.

So, the point of view, according to which the phenomena traditionally attributed to Internet addiction, can be given alternative explanations, is increasingly making its way. The interests of a number of psychologists are responsible for the struggle for the recognition of the corresponding phenomena as a kind of psychological dependence. To begin with, the task is to include this addiction in the fifth revised edition of the DSM International Classification of Diseases.

Internet addiction research

A significant place in the research practice of specialists who develop the problem of Internet addiction is occupied by qualitative methods. Up to now, most of the research has been methodically structured as interviews, mass online surveys, and group discussions with the participation of subjects who have experienced psychological discomfort. Control groups, as a rule, are not formed, clinical interviews are not practiced. The methodological errors of the studies carried out in this area have been repeatedly criticized [see, for example, Refs. 9, 10]. Only recently have few laboratory and clinical studies appeared, which, of course, lack the mass character inherent in online surveys. It is also practiced to publish materials containing an analysis of cases or participant observation of the activities of addicts - for example, during a network game. It should also be noted the growth in the number of quantitative (primarily correlation and factorial) studies.

The following areas of Internet addiction research can be singled out: analysis of the manifestations of addiction phenomena in specific types of activities mediated by the use of the Internet, stages of development and models of Internet addiction; identification of possible correlations and/or causal connections of this phenomenon with other psychological parameters or symptoms of diseases.

Alternative Perspectives on the Phenomena of Internet Addiction

The state of the problem can be considered in the context of the Scientific Symposium "", which was held on June 10, 2009. It was held within the framework of the joint project of the same name by the Faculty of Psychology of Moscow State University, the Internet Development Foundation and the All-Russian public organization "League of Nation's Health". Scientific supervisor of the project - A.E. Voiskunsky (Department of Psychology, Moscow State University). The declared purpose of the symposium was to discuss such issues as the formation and development of the phenomenology of Internet addiction in children, adolescents and adults; the legitimacy of referring the relevant phenomena to the category of psychological addictions; identification of relevant phenomenology and recommendations for therapy.

Within the framework of the symposium, foreign and domestic experts expressed their points of view on the stated problem. The symposium was opened by Yu.P. Zinchenko. He noted the importance of psychological research on the use of the Internet for society, briefly dwelled on the characteristics of the early stage of the study of Internet addiction and revealed the prospects for such research.

Further, the following foreign experts voiced their views on this issue: K. Yang (USA), who conducted the world's first research in this area, the author of the book "Caught in the Net" translated into six languages; pioneer of cyberpsychological research J. Suler (USA); also a pioneer of research and advisory work in this area, J. Grohol (USA), who refuses to qualify Internet addiction as an independent type of addiction; S. Stern (USA), who also believes that the use of the Internet enriches people; M. Griffiths (Great Britain), according to whom only a few addicts demonstrate dependence on the Internet itself, for the majority, the Internet is nothing more than a tool; J. Moreihan-Martin (USA) dwells on the terminology, distinguishing Internet addiction, dependence on the Internet, excessive use of the Internet, as well as compulsive, pathological, problematic, destructive use of the Internet; in this she is echoed by M. Fenishel (USA), who, moreover, analyzes in detail the possible similarities and differences between traditional addictions and Internet addiction.

Most foreign experts believe that if we can talk about Internet addiction, then it is typical for a very small number of Internet users; thus they do not support the opinion that this type of addiction is typical for many millions of users.

Director of the Department of the Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communications of the Russian Federation O.V. Chutov spoke about the ministerial policy of supporting the initiatives of public organizations to ensure the protection of the Internet space from illegal, illegal and negative content.

G.V. Soldatova (Faculty of Psychology, Moscow State University) reported the preliminary results of a mass study of Russian schoolchildren, according to which the Internet has become the main information source for children.

Further speakers were: A.E. Voiskunsky (Moscow State University); V.D. Mendelevich (Kazan), who analyzed Internet addiction in a number of other addictions in a report on the psychopathology of deviant behavior on the Internet; K.S. Lisetsky (Samara) distinguishes between "dissolution" on the Internet (underestimation of time on the Internet, overestimation of the significance and volume of the product produced with its help, a substructure "I am superior" is formed in the self-concept) and "non-dissolution" (overestimation of time on the Internet, an adequate assessment of the significance and the volume of the product produced via the Internet); S.N. Enikolopov (Moscow) revealed the connection between the use of the Internet and manifestations of aggressive and hostile actions; Yu.M. Kuznetsova and N.V. Chudova (Moscow) compared Internet addiction with the duration of the use of the Internet and with the psychological characteristics of users, including identity, personal development, the difference between the images of the Self and the Other, the emotional sphere, self-consciousness, etc.; M.S. Radionova and T.S. Spirkina (Moscow) revealed that people prone to Internet addiction are socially and emotionally maladjusted, frustrated, and use inadequate coping strategies.

Reports by R.F. Teperik (Moscow), V.L. Malygina, N.S. Khomeriki and E.A. Smirnova (Moscow) were devoted to the factors contributing to the formation of Internet addiction in adolescents.

The participants made a proposal to create a National Committee on non-chemical addictions (including Internet addiction) with the following tasks: participation in the development of legislative acts that prevent the spread of these pathological forms of behavior, the creation of preventive programs, etc.

Thus, we can conclude that at present, some mental health professionals refuse to recognize a new type of addiction that has not yet been recorded in official reference books, others - they are usually called "cyberpsychologists" - identify signs of Internet addiction, provide assistance to addict clients, conduct advisory and preventive work.

The concept and criteria of Internet addiction

In its most general form, Internet addiction is defined as "non-chemical addiction to the use of the Internet". In some psychological dictionaries, Internet addiction is defined as a disorder, an obsessive desire to connect to and a painful inability to disconnect from the Internet in time.

As we can see, the terminology of the problem is not yet fully settled. The names "Internet addiction", or "Internet addiction", as well as "overuse/pathological use of the Internet" are used. With an abundance of names, experts are quite unanimous in determining the behavioral characteristics that could be attributed to this phenomenon (or syndrome). So, there is an inability and active unwillingness to be distracted even for a short time from working on the Internet; annoyance and irritation arising from forced distractions; the desire to spend ever-increasing periods of time at work on the Internet; an incentive to spend more and more money on the Internet; Willingness to lie to friends and family members by minimizing the length of time spent on the Internet; the ability and tendency to forget while working on the Internet about household chores, studies, important personal and business meetings, etc.; the desire and ability to get rid of previously arisen feelings of guilt or helplessness, from states of anxiety or depression, gaining a sense of emotional uplift and a kind of euphoria while working on the Internet; unwillingness to accept criticism of such a lifestyle; willingness to put up with the destruction of the family, the loss of friends; neglect of one's own health and, in particular, a sharp reduction in the duration of sleep; avoidance of physical activity; neglect of personal hygiene; constant "forgetting" about food; abuse of coffee and other tonics.

Researchers cite various criteria for Internet addiction.

Kimberly Young gives the following four symptoms:

1. obsessive desire to check e-mail;

2. constant expectation of the next access to the Internet;

3. complaints from others that a person spends too much time on the Internet;

4. complaints from others that a person spends too much money on the Internet.

A more detailed system of criteria is given by I. Goldberg. In his opinion, Internet addiction can be stated if there are 3 or more points from those proposed by him (see Appendix 1) .

Common features of computer addiction are a characteristic series of psychological and physical symptoms that are closely related:

Psychological symptoms:

1. good health or euphoria at the computer;

2. inability to stop;

3. increase in the amount of time spent at the computer;

4. neglect of family and friends;

5. feelings of emptiness, depression, irritation not at the computer;

6. lying to employers or family members about their activities;

7. problems with work or school.

Physical symptoms:

1. carpal tunnel syndrome (tunnel lesion of the nerve trunks of the hand, associated with prolonged muscle strain);

2. dry eyes;

3. migraine-type headaches;

4. back pain;

5. irregular meals, skipping meals;

6. neglect of personal hygiene;

7. sleep disorders, changes in sleep patterns.

1. Cybersexual. Dependence on interactive chat rooms for "adults" or on cyber pornography.

2. Cyber ​​relations . An addiction to friendships made in chat rooms, interactive games, and conferences that replaces real friends and family.

3. Excessive network involvement . Includes involvement in online gambling, addiction to online auctions, and a compulsive state of online trading.

4. Information overload. Excessive involvement in visiting websites and searching databases.

5. Computer addiction . Obsessive states in computer games or in programming, mainly among children and adolescents.

Causes and consequences of Internet addiction

If you compare Internet addiction with other types of addictions, you can find a sufficient number of similarities. Most therapists agree that it is not the Internet that makes a person addicted, but a person who is prone to addiction finds an activity that becomes the object of addiction. A number of authors believe that there is a so-called dependent personality type and people with such traits are at risk. These traits are extreme lack of independence, inability to refuse, to say "no" because of the fear of being rejected by other people, vulnerability to criticism or disapproval, unwillingness to take responsibility and make decisions, and as a result, strong submission to significant people; all this characterizes a passive life position, when a person refuses to be the first to make contact with others and make decisions independently.

According to statistics, people with two types of disorientation are prone to cyber addiction: social and sexual.

sexually disoriented Internet addicts - that's all new type a person worthy of a separate description. According to statistics, every fifth user is somehow involved in online sexual activity. The drama of this type of addiction for adolescents lies in the fact that it overtakes them at a transitional age, at the time of puberty, and then an asocial idea of ​​​​sex is formed in the adolescent. To understand what makes cybersex addiction, K. Young suggests the following model: accessibility - control - arousal, which are the three basic causes of this addiction. Recognizing the emergence of cybersex addiction in a person will help identify the first signs (see Appendix 2).

The Internet satisfies many conscious and subconscious needs of users. It contains everything that the user can be passionate about. And this is the main reason for the addiction to the Internet. According to recent studies, going into the world of fantasy has become one of the most common strategies for the behavior of modern youth in difficult life situations. There are already concepts according to which drugs were the "alcohol" of the post-industrial era, and computer games will become them in the information era.

Summing up, let's answer the question, so what makes the Internet attractive as a means of "avoiding" reality? It:

1) the possibility of anonymous communication;

2) the ability to realize ideas, fantasies with feedback(including the ability to create new images of "I"; verbalization of ideas and / or fantasies that are not possible for implementation in the ordinary world, for example, cybersex, role-playing games in chats, etc.);

3) an extremely wide opportunity to search for a new interlocutor that satisfies almost anyone;

4) unlimited access to information.

1. The discussion of this phenomenon began not so long ago: in 1994, K. Young. The term "internet addiction" was coined in 1996 by Dr. Ivan Goldberg. Currently, the phenomenon of "Internet addiction", or Internet addiction, is being intensively discussed and researched. In its most general form, Internet addiction is defined as "non-chemical addiction to the use of the Internet." The question of the very existence of a disease called Internet addiction remains unresolved, and the study of this phenomenon needs further study.

2. Computer technologies have a profound impact on the human psyche and consciousness. Psychiatry has already recognized the fact of the zombifying and stupefying role of the Internet. According to a number of researchers, the negative impact of the Internet is in direct proportion to the user's personality. Through communication on the Internet, people who are prone to creating addictions compensate for their needs for communication and a sense of security. Often, Internet addiction is a consequence of hypercompensation of a person's intrapersonal problems. Experts say that people who are "hooked" on the Internet are in fact very often alone or have problems in communication. Kimberly Young found that the majority of Internet addicts (91%) use Internet services related to communication. Another part of addicts is attracted by information services of the network.

3. According to research, the number of young people on the Internet is growing faster than the number of other age groups.

4. Various authors identify anonymity, accessibility, invisibility, multiplicity, security, ease of use as reasons contributing to the formation of Internet addiction.

Chapter II. The influence of Internet addiction on the development of a teenager's personality

Today, mankind is faced with the problem of the consequences of the "computer-psyche" connection. At the moment, there is no doubt that the impact that the Internet can have on the identity of the user is deep and systemic. A.E. Voiskunsky with co-authors, summing up initial stage psychological research of the Internet, indicates that the impact on the personal development of information technology cannot be unambiguously qualified as positive or negative: along with negative personality transformations in the so-called Internet addiction, there is the possibility of positive development of individual abilities. Yes, in the chain "teenager - computer - Internet" there are two options for the development of their relationship: "positive" and "negative". In the second case, with frequent use of a computer and the Internet, psychological manifestations of Internet addiction occur, which is expressed in a large number of behavioral problems and control over impulses, and as a result, to a change in personality as a whole.

In connection with the task, we will try to systematize and summarize the few data on the transformative influence of Internet addiction on the personality of a teenager, and also try to answer the question of why teenagers are today in the main risk group for the formation of a new form of addictive behavior (the number of Internet addicted teenagers). varies from 1.4% to 17.9% in different countries.

Psychological characteristics of a teenager

A teenager is a developing personality, looking for answers to vital questions for him: "Who am I?", "Why am I?", "For whom am I?" and "What am I?". In adolescence, the individual enters a qualitatively new social position, at which time his conscious attitude towards himself as a member of society is formed. Consequently, a lot in the formation of a person's social attitudes depends on how social orientation proceeds during this period.

Each age period is characterized by a leading type of activity, and it is he who has a significant impact on the formation of a certain hierarchy of motives, on the development of the goal-setting process. Adolescence is characterized by activities aimed at mastering the norms of relationships, to a greater extent with peers. This side of an individual's life is expressed in socially useful activities that correspond to the motivational-need sphere of a teenager's personality, his need for self-determination, self-expression, and adult recognition of his activity is realized. During this period of ontogenesis, the most favorable conditions are formed for the manifestation and consolidation of the social essence of a person.

Adolescence refers to a critical period of mental development. Acutely flowing mental fracture causes its exceptional complexity and inconsistency. In age-related physiology, critical periods are considered from the point of view of the possibility of disrupting the normal course of development, and in psychology, this term denotes the child's sensitivity to the formation of influences. Unlike stable periods, critical periods are turning points in development, when cardinal changes occur in the formation of personality in a relatively short period of time. It is known that the most important psychological neoplasm of this age is the formation of self-consciousness. An important feature that characterizes the self-awareness of a teenager is a sense of adulthood. Thus, a teenager puts himself in the situation of an adult in a system of real relationships.

So, the psychological characteristics of age are determined by a complex of circumstances, primarily by the social conditions and lifestyle of a teenager, upbringing and the nature of his practical activities. During this period, the search new activity. And the formation of his personality depends on what activity becomes leading in the life of a teenager.

Reasons for the formation of dependence on the Internet in adolescents

As you know, any activity is aimed at meeting needs. The range of basic needs of a modern teenager is quite wide. In addition to the vital (physiological and safety), social needs (communication, love, recognition) and the needs associated with personal development (knowledge, understanding, self-realization) occupy an important place among them.

The study of the "Internet Development Foundation", conducted by G.V. Soldatova, O.S. Gostimskaya, E.Yu. Kropaleva made it possible to determine the range of needs that adolescents satisfy using the Internet. Among them: the need for autonomy and independence (in the process of socialization, this need implies, first of all, the desire for independence from parents); the need for self-realization and recognition; the need for recognition and knowledge ; satisfaction of the social need for communication, belonging to a group of interests, love; the need for possession; cognitive need, as well as the possession of new knowledge contributes to the achievement of recognition from peers and self-realization. As a result of using the Internet, there is a feeling of complete control and ownership of the situation, which satisfies the need for security - one of the basic human needs in the system.

Attachment 1

According to I. Goldberg, Internet addiction can be stated if there are 3 or more points.

1. Tolerance.

1.1 the amount of time you need to spend on the Internet to achieve satisfaction is noticeably increasing;

1.2 if a person does not increase the amount of time he spends on the Internet, then the effect is noticeably reduced.

2. Syndrome of refusal.

2.1 characteristic "rejection syndrome":

2.1.1 termination or reduction of time spent on the Internet,

2.1.2 two or more of the following symptoms (developing over a period of several days to a month):

a) psychomotor agitation;

b) anxiety;

c) obsessive thoughts about what is happening on the Internet;

d) fantasies or dreams about the Internet;

e) voluntary or involuntary finger movements, reminiscent of typing on a keyboard.

The symptoms listed in point 2 cause a decrease or impairment of social, occupational or other activities.

2.2 use of the Internet avoids the symptoms of "withdrawal syndrome".

3. The Internet is often used for more time or more often than intended.

4. There is a constant desire or unsuccessful attempts to stop or begin to control the use of the Internet.

5. A huge amount of time is spent on activities related to the use of the Internet (buying books about the Internet, searching for new browsers, searching for providers, organizing files found on the Internet).

6. Significant social, professional activities, recreation are terminated or reduced due to the use of the Internet.

7. Use of the Internet continues despite knowledge of ongoing or ongoing physical, social, occupational or psychological problems that are caused by Internet use.

Annex 2

How to recognize the appearance of a cybersex addiction in a person?

1. Changes in sleep mode - chat rooms and other meeting places in the virtual world come to life closer to the night, so a person will have to stay up late to participate in this. Often such people go to bed in the morning, or vice versa, get up a few hours earlier to exchange romantic letters with their partners.

2. The need for secrecy - if someone begins to lie in real life, then this may be a symptom that he is trying to hide his virtual relationship from his family. First of all, this can be expressed in attempts to organize secrecy around the computer and information. The computer can be moved to the far corner of the room, locked with a key. Also, changing passwords and any other environment with its secrecy should alert. If such a person is disturbed while he is online, this may cause him to react in a malicious or defensive manner.

3. Ignoring household chores - As time spent online increases, time spent on household chores decreases and they often go unfulfilled. This is not an automatic sign of cyber addiction, but if the dishes are left unwashed, the laundry is not washed, then this should serve as a sign that the person’s attention is drawn to something else.

4. Obvious lies - this includes things like hiding bills from your ISP, phone bills for calls to cyber lovers, and lying about having to use the Internet so much. Many lie to hide their virtual connections.

5. Changes in character - cyber-addicted people have noticeable differences in mood, behavior compared to behavior before using the Internet. For example, a tender and affectionate wife can become cold and indifferent, while a cheerful and cheerful husband can become calm and serious. If asked about such changes, the answer is likely to be some rational explanation or no answer at all. For people who are addicted to the Internet, such conversations will seem like just an annoying hindrance that prevents them from spending time the way they want.

6. Loss of interest in sex - some cyber addictions turn into phone sex and other sexual activities. This can be expressed in lethargy, indifference to courtship and loss of enthusiasm.

7. General indifference to family relationships - these people simply do not want to participate in family life, preferring the Internet to it. They perform their duties as some kind of ritual without any interest. They avoid talking about any long-term plans, do not enjoy joint trips to nature. Often they spend their time with someone else and all their thoughts are focused on their cyber partners and not on real people. Adolescents stop striving to communicate with the opposite sex, avoid any conversations on this topic.

Annex 3

1. Test developed by Professor of Psychology at the University of Pittsburgh at Bratford, Dr. Kimberley Young.

Take the test by answering the questions as honestly as possible.. Rate your answers to each of the questions on the following scale.

Never or very rarely - 1 point.

Sometimes - 2 points.

Regular - 3 points.

Often - 4 points.

Always - 5 points.

Do you often:

1. Do you find yourself spending more time online than you intended?

2. Are you neglecting household chores to surf the net longer?

3. Prefer to stay online with ?

9. Are you defensive and secretive when asked what you do online?

10. Do you block out disturbing thoughts about your real life with thoughts about the internet?

11. Do you find yourself looking forward to your next go online?

12. Do you feel that life without the Internet is boring, empty and joyless?

13. Do you swear, yell, or otherwise express your annoyance when someone tries to distract you from being online?

14. Are you neglecting your sleep by staying up late on the Internet?

15. Looking forward to what you will do online while offline?

16. Saying to yourself, "Just a minute" while online?

17. Are you failing to cut down on your time online?

the amount of time you spend online?

19. Instead of going out with friends, do you choose the Internet?

20. Do you feel depressed, overwhelmed or nervous when you are offline and find that this condition goes away as soon as you are online?

Calculate the results.

20-49 points. You are a wise internet user. You can surf the network for as long as you like, because you know how to control yourself.

50-79 points. Do you have some problems related to the excessive interest in the Internet. If you do not pay attention to them now - in the future they can fill your whole life.

80-100 points. Internet use causes significant problems in your life. You need urgent help from a psychotherapist.

2. A list of questions that are invariably asked when Internet addiction is suspected:

1. Do you feel unable to determine in advance how long you will be in front of the computer?

2. Have there been situations with you when you planned something, but something prevented you from leaving the computer at the scheduled time?

3. Do you feel something like euphoria when you work at a computer?

4. Do you have a desire to spend more time at the computer?

5. Do you sacrifice communication with friends and loved ones?

6. Do you feel irritated, restless and unhappy when you are offline?

7. Do you hide from colleagues and family exactly what you do while working at the computer?

8. Have you ever had problems because of your excessive passion for the computer and everything related to it?

9. Do you feel guilty or have you ever experienced depression due to guilt caused by working too long on the computer?

10. Has your routine changed due to computer work?

11. Do you experience narrowed consciousness syndrome, eye strain, back pain, or weight changes?

12. Do you tend to deny, downplay, or rationalize the negative effects of spending too much time at the computer?

13. Have you given up on your offline interests and hobbies and cut off some of your offline social contacts?

14. Do you increasingly resort to the Internet for tying erotic and sexual relations?

15. Do you embellish yourself while searching? ideal partner for cybersex?

3. A short test with which you can determine the degree of dependence on the Internet.

1. Do you feel preoccupied with the Internet (do you think about previous online sessions and look forward to future ones)?

2. Do you also feel the need to increase the time spent on the Web?

3. Have you made unsuccessful attempts to control, restrict or stop using the Internet?

4. Do you feel tired, depressed or irritated when you try to limit or stop using the Internet?

5. Are you online more than you thought?

6. Have you ever been at risk of getting problems at work, school or in your personal life because of the Internet?

7. Have you ever told lies to family members, doctors, or others to hide your online time?

8. Do you use the Internet to get away from problems or bad moods (such as feelings of helplessness, guilt, irritability, or depression)?

A patient is considered Internet addicted if five or more positive answers to these questions are given.

Appendix 4

Questionnaire for Identification of Computer Gaming Addiction

Are these statements true?

1. Do you think about computer games in advance, often remember the previous stages of the game, look forward to the next ones?

2. Do you constantly feel the lack of time spent playing computer games, do you constantly want to play longer?

3. You had to ask teachers, supervisors or parents to replace at least part of the lessons with computer games.

4. You feel that you are not always able to immediately stop the game.

5. You feel irritated or tired if you don't play on your computer for a long time.

6. You usually play more games than you planned.

7. There have been times when you have run the risk of causing trouble in your studies or in your personal life because of a computer game.

8. You have had to lie to parents, teachers, doctors or other people to hide your passion for computer games.

9. You had to urgently close the window with a computer game when your parents, teachers, friends came up.

10. Believe that best games it is a 3D action game (Doom, Quake, Cont. Str., St. Trek Voyager, etc.).

11. I think that those who do not play 3D action and other games of this kind are Lamers.

12. You have more than 3 3D action game discs at home that you use frequently.

13. You have used computer games more than once to escape the problems of real life.

14. You had to sit down at a computer game to correct your mood (for example, feelings of guilt, helplessness, irritability) or just to calm down.

How many statements here are true for you?

Interpretation of results:

If the subject answered yes to more than 5 questions - a high level of gambling addiction, gambling addiction as a fait accompli.

An affirmative answer to 3 or more questions is an average level of dependence, the problem is relevant.

If the subject gave 3 or more affirmative answers, the result is low.

There are serious dangers that children face directly on the Web:

trust in children, communicating on the Web, and can tempt the latter to commit obscene acts;

access to pornography. Children may come across pornography due to its wide distribution online;

inappropriate content - sites with destructive content, for example, with instructions for making a bomb;

attention to children who play a lot of online games with violence. These kids are more aggressive.

Rule 1 Be attentive to the actions of your children on the "world wide web":

Do not send children to "free float" on the Internet. Try to actively participate in the child's communication with the Internet, especially at the stage of development.

Talk with your child about what he learns new for himself using the Internet in order to warn the threat in time.

Rule 2 Inform your child about the opportunities and dangers that the network carries:

Explain to your child that on the Internet, as in life, there are both "good" and "bad" people. Explain that if a child has encountered negativity or violence from another Internet user, he needs to tell his loved ones about it.

Teach your child to look for the information he needs and check it, including with your help.

Teach your child to be careful about downloading paid information and receiving paid services from the Internet, especially by sending sms - in order to avoid losing money.

Make a list of useful, interesting, safe resources that your child can use and encourage them to use.

Rule 3 Choose a convenient form of control over your child's online presence:

Install the necessary software on your computer - a parental control solution and an antivirus.

If your child is a primary school student and often stays home alone, limit your child's time on the Internet.

If the computer is used by all family members, install it in a place accessible to all family members, not in the child's room.

Create different accounts on your computer for adults and children. This will help not only to protect the child, but also to keep your personal data.

Keep track of the resources your child visits on a regular basis. Simple computer settings will allow you to be aware of what information your child has viewed.

Rule 4 Regularly improve your computer literacy so that you know how to keep children safe:

Use convenient opportunities to improve your computer and Internet literacy, for example, attending courses, reading specialized literature, consulting with experts.

Introduce all members of your family to the basic principles of safe computer and Internet use.

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Any addiction has its own characteristics, criteria and symptoms that are unique to it. Currently, the criteria and symptoms inherent in Internet addiction have been studied and considered in sufficient detail in order to be able to judge whether a teenager has this addiction or not.

If you compare Internet addiction with other types of addictions, you can find a sufficient number of similarities. Most therapists agree that it is not the Internet that makes a person addicted, but a person who is prone to addiction finds an activity that becomes the object of addiction. A number of authors believe that there is a so-called dependent personality type and people with such traits are at risk. These traits are extreme lack of independence, inability to refuse, to say "no" because of the fear of being rejected by other people, vulnerability to criticism or disapproval, unwillingness to take responsibility and make decisions, and as a result, strong submission to significant people; all this characterizes a passive life position, when a person refuses to be the first to make contact with others and make decisions independently.

Specialists who study Internet addiction are quite unanimous in determining the behavioral characteristics that could be attributed to this phenomenon (or syndrome). So, there is an inability and active unwillingness to be distracted even for a short time from working on the Internet; annoyance and irritation arising from forced distractions; the desire to spend ever-increasing periods of time at work on the Internet; an incentive to spend more and more money on providing work on the Internet; willingness to lie to friends and family members, downplaying the length of time spent on the Internet; the ability and tendency to forget while working on the Internet about household chores, studies, important personal and business meetings, etc.; the desire and ability to get rid of previously arisen feelings of guilt or helplessness, from states of anxiety or depression, while working on the Internet, gaining a feeling of emotional uplift and a kind of euphoria; unwillingness to accept criticism of such a lifestyle; willingness to put up with the destruction of the family, the loss of friends; neglect of one's own health and, in particular, a sharp reduction in the duration of sleep; avoidance of physical activity; neglect of personal hygiene; constant "forgetting" about food; abuse of coffee and other tonics.

Kimberly Young, known for her research on the Internet and addiction, lists the following four symptoms that are common to those who suffer from Internet addiction:

) an obsessive desire to check e-mail;

) constant waiting for the next access to the Internet;

) complaints from others that a person spends too much time on the Internet;

) complaints from others that a person spends too much money on the Internet.

A more detailed system of criteria is given by I. Goldberg. In his opinion, it is possible to state Internet addiction if there are 3 or more points from those proposed by him, and there are only 7 of them.

A.E. Voiskunsky summed up all the previously described behavioral characteristics of Internet addiction:

Inability and unwillingness to be distracted even for a short time from working on the Internet, and even more so to stop working;

Annoyance and annoyance arising from forced distractions and obsessive thoughts about the Internet during such periods;

The desire to spend ever increasing periods of time working on the Internet and the inability to plan the end time of a particular session of work;

The urge to spend more and more money on the Internet, without stopping to spend savings saved up for other purposes or getting into debt;

Willingness to lie to friends and family members by downplaying the length and frequency of surfing the Internet;

The ability and tendency to forget when working on the Internet about household chores, school or work duties; important personal and business meetings, neglecting occupations or careers;

The desire and ability to free yourself while working on the Internet from previously arisen feelings of guilt or helplessness, from states of anxiety or depression, gaining a sense of emotional uplift and a kind of euphoria;

Unwillingness to accept criticism of such a lifestyle from relatives or superiors;

Willingness to put up with the destruction of the family, the loss of friends and social circle due to the preoccupation with working on the Internet;

Neglect of one's own health and, in particular, a sharp reduction in the duration of sleep due to systematic work on the Internet at night;

Avoidance or reduction in physical activity, justified by the need to perform urgent work related to the use of the Internet;

Neglect of personal hygiene due to the desire to spend all "personal" time without a trace, working on the Internet;

Constant "forgetting" about food, the willingness to be satisfied with random and monotonous food, consumed irregularly and not looking up from the computer.

Abuse of coffee and other tonics;

Selection, viewing and study of special literature about the novelties of the Internet, discussing them with others.

K. Young also identifies five main categories of Internet addiction:

) cybersexual. Dependence on interactive chat rooms for "adults" or on cyber pornography.

2) cyber relations . An addiction to friendships made in chat rooms, interactive games, and conferences that replaces real friends and family.

) excessive network involvement . Includes involvement in online gambling, addiction to online auctions, and a compulsive state of online trading.

) information overload. Excessive involvement in visiting websites and searching databases.

)computer addiction . Obsessive states in computer games or in programming, mainly among children and adolescents.

Based on all of the above, we can conclude that many adolescents can find, if not all, many of the symptoms and behavioral characteristics that seem familiar to them. Of course, these symptoms will be familiar to them, because teenagers are the most frequent visitors to the Internet and, as a result, they are the most often addicted to the Internet. A.E. Voiskunsky et al., summing up the initial stage of psychological research on the Internet, indicate that the influence of information technology on personal development cannot be unequivocally qualified as positive or negative: along with negative personality transformations in the so-called Internet addiction, there is the possibility of positive development of individual abilities . In the chain "teenager - computer - Internet", two variants of the development of their relationship are also possible: "positive" and "negative". In the second case, with frequent use of a computer and the Internet, psychological manifestations of Internet addiction occur, which is expressed in a large number of behavioral problems and control over impulses, and as a result, to a change in personality as a whole.

Who is a teenager? A teenager is a developing personality, looking for answers to vital questions for him: "Who am I?", "Why am I?", "For whom am I?" and "What am I?". In adolescence, the individual enters a qualitatively new social position, at which time his conscious attitude towards himself as a member of society is formed. Consequently, a lot in the formation of a person's social attitudes depends on how social orientation proceeds during this period. Adolescence is characterized by activities aimed at mastering the norms of relationships, to a greater extent with peers. This side of an individual's life is expressed in socially useful activities that correspond to the motivational-need sphere of a teenager's personality, his need for self-determination, self-expression, and adult recognition of his activity is realized. Adolescence refers to a critical period of mental development. Acutely flowing mental fracture causes its exceptional complexity and inconsistency. In age-related physiology, critical periods are considered from the point of view of the possibility of disrupting the normal course of development, and in psychology, this term denotes the child's sensitivity to the formation of influences. Unlike stable periods, critical periods are turning points in development, when cardinal changes in the formation of personality occur in a relatively short period of time. It is known that the most important psychological neoplasm of this age is the formation of self-consciousness. An important feature that characterizes the self-awareness of a teenager is a sense of adulthood. Thus, a teenager puts himself in the situation of an adult in a system of real relationships.

It is not surprising that a teenager is looking for himself not in reality, as it was before, but on the Internet, which is possible now. Do not forget about the fact that in adolescence there is a search for a new activity. And the formation of his personality depends on what activity becomes leading in the life of a teenager.

As you know, any activity is aimed at meeting needs. And what attracts teenagers on the Internet? Of course, the satisfaction of their own needs. The range of basic needs of a modern teenager is quite wide. In addition to the vital (physiological and safety), social needs (communication, love, recognition) and the needs associated with personal development (knowledge, understanding, self-realization) occupy an important place among them.

The study of the "Internet Development Foundation", conducted by G.V. Soldatova, O.S. Gostimskaya, E.Yu. Kropaleva made it possible to determine the range of needs that adolescents satisfy using the Internet. Among them: the need for autonomy and independence (in the process of socialization, this need implies, first of all, the desire for independence from parents); the need for self-realization and recognition; the need for recognition and knowledge ; satisfaction of the social need for communication, belonging to a group of interests, love; the need for possession; cognitive need, as well as the possession of new knowledge contributes to the achievement of recognition from peers and self-realization. As a result of using the Internet, there is a feeling of complete control and ownership of the situation, which satisfies the need for security - one of the basic human needs in the system.

In addition, there is a short list of what attracts any teenager to currently use the Internet as a means of "leaving" reality in the virtual world:

) the possibility of anonymous communication;

) an extremely wide opportunity to search for a new interlocutor that satisfies almost any request and selection criteria;

) unlimited access to information.

It is worth repeating simple and well-known aspects of growing up to better understand why teenagers spend their time in such a strange and unusual place as the virtual world.

Identification. Teenagers are trying to figure out their place in the world around them. They ask themselves "global" questions: Who am I? Why do I live? These are questions that are very difficult to answer and some of which can be found in the virtual world. After all, teenagers clearly believe that the Internet has answers to all their questions.

intimacy and belonging. In the process of growing up, a person gets acquainted with various aspects of intimate relationships, especially with the opposite sex. He is looking for friends and company where he can experience the feeling of belonging to a group. All these relationships are an important part of personality identification. The Internet provides it with an incalculable number of people and groups that unite their members according to interests, values ​​and inclinations.

Separation (separation) from parents and family. Adolescents' search for their place in life and building relationships with other people go hand in hand with the desire to separate from their parents. A teenager wants to be independent and do what he wants. But at the same time, he does not want to completely separate from his parents. And here the Internet provides a unique opportunity. Do you want to meet new people, do exciting things, discover the world or create your own? Do you want to stay at home with your parents? The Internet will allow you to do all this at the same time.

Getting rid of frustration. Adolescence is a difficult and frustrating period of life that comes under pressure from school, family and friends. What should a teenager do with his experiences, especially when they are enhanced by hormonal changes in the body? He needs to get rid of frustrations and he can try to do it in an anonymous, liability-free cyberspace.

For V.L. Malygina, N.S. Khomeriki and E.A. Smirnova, the risk factors for the formation of Internet addiction are associated with the following personal characteristics of adolescents: a tendency to seek new sensations, aggressiveness and anxiety, antisocial coping strategies, emotional alienation, low communicative competence, etc. Therefore, all adolescent users are caught in the same network and are in the same risk group.

Internet addiction contributes to the formation of a number of psychological problems: conflict behavior, chronic depression, preference for the virtual space of real life, difficulties in adapting to society, loss of the ability to control the time spent at the computer, the emergence of a feeling of discomfort in the absence of the possibility of using the Internet. Using the Internet, a teenager prefers to "search" instead of striving to "think" and "teach". Many children openly admit that they very often visit sites prohibited by their parents, because they know that nothing will happen to them for this. At the same time, they have the illusion of permissiveness and impunity. This encourages the violation of human rights, and the illusion of impunity can be a trap and have serious consequences in real life - there is a decline in morality.

Internet addiction is almost unanimously recognized as a negative direction of personality transformation, transformation of activity (its motivational, goal-forming and operational components), mediated by interaction with the Internet.

Let us consider specific types of Internet-mediated activities that are potentially capable of leading to global personal transformations. There are three main types:

1. Cognitive - passion for knowledge in the field of programming and telecommunications, or, as an extreme option, hacking;

Gaming - passion for computer games and, in particular, games via the Internet or, as an extreme option, the so-called. gambling addiction;

Communicative - passion for network communication or, as an extreme option, Internet addiction, including cybersexual addiction.

The main problems of the "inhabitant of the Internet" are concentrated in the field of self-acceptance. As you know, teenagers experience difficulties in close communication and self-disclosure, as well as in accepting their physical "I" and their bodily needs. A possible immediate cause of this is undeveloped, infantile self-esteem mechanisms that generate idealistic demands and prevent the formation of differentiated and adequate ideas about oneself. We also note that for some teenagers, excessive involvement in the Internet is associated with a willingness to control each stage of the work of computer programs; they can carry this tendency to control into the sphere of human relations, and since attempts to manipulate other people often fail, this can push children into isolation and social isolation.

Thus, the Internet is attractive as a means of escape from reality due to the possibility of anonymous social interactions. Of particular importance here is the sense of security and awareness of one's anonymity in the implementation of interactions. Secondly, it is an opportunity for the realization of some ideas, fantasies with feedback. And the last point is unlimited access to information - informational vampirism.

As a rule, those who become Internet addicts change their personality. This is no longer that harmonious personality, but an addictive personality. First, addictives are characterized by a change in addictive implementation. Today he is an Internet addict, tomorrow he is a love addict, after tomorrow he is a pathological gambler, and a little later he has gone into drugs or alcoholism. Secondly, the danger lies in the fact that very often, sooner or later, addictive individuals become socially maladjusted.

There is an opinion that Internet addiction is not an official diagnosis, that it is rather a symptom of other serious problems in a person's life (for example, depression, communication difficulties, etc.). And if we take into account that adolescence is most susceptible to various kinds of deviations in behavior, then we can conclude that the formation of dependence on the Internet is most likely in adolescents, and it can also be stated that it will have a devastating effect on the child's personality. Based on this, the psychological mechanisms of the impact of information technology on a person should be the subject of a thorough analysis.

Conclusion. Thus, the analysis of the literature shows that age features that can lead to Internet addiction in adolescents are quite diverse. In particular, this is the need for autonomy and independence, separation from parents and family; the need for self-realization and recognition, for identification; the need for recognition and knowledge ; satisfaction of the social need for communication, belonging to a group of interests, love; the need for possession; cognitive need, as well as the possession of new knowledge contributes to the achievement of recognition from peers and self-realization; getting rid of frustration. As a result of using the Internet, there is a feeling of complete control and ownership of the situation, which satisfies the need for security - one of the basic human needs in the system.

Introduction ................................................ ................................................. ...........3

Chapter I

1.1 Internet addiction: concept, causes and factors of occurrence……………………………………………………………….………4

1.2 Psychological mechanisms of formationInternet Addictions at

teenagers……………………………………………………………….…11

Chapter II. The study of socio-psychological characteristics of Internet-addicted adolescents

2. 1 Identification of Internet addiction and level of addiction ……………12

2.2 Determination of socio-psychological characteristics in adolescents and their comparison in Internet-dependent and Internet-independent ...……….15

Conclusion……………………………………………………..………………...18

Literature…………………………………………………………………………20

Application…………………………………………………………………………21

INTRODUCTION

The relevance of research:In connection with the increasing computerization and "internetization" of Russian society, the problem of pathological use of the Internet has become urgent. Surveys show that despite the harmful effects of Internet addiction, approximately 54% of addicts do not want to reduce their time spent online. Some of them consider themselves completely “addicted” to the Internet and unable to quit this habit, the remaining 46% have made several unsuccessful attempts to get rid of addiction.According to Western sources for 2011, 20% of Internet users in the world suffer from Internet addiction. Of them 91% are participants in forums, social networks and chats.Internet addiction manifests itself in the fact that people are so focused on their virtual life that they actually abandon their real life. Internet addiction manifests itself in exactly the same way as an addiction to alcohol, drugs and gambling, only it takes much less time to acquire it - from six months to a year. It is believed that soon Internet addiction will be recognized as disease number 1. Professional clinics are already appearing in the West, where they treat a variety of “cyber disorders”. Internet addiction is dangerous because over time it tends to degenerate into other types of addiction: a pathological gambler, drug addiction or alcoholism. In Finland, for example, there have been cases where conscripts received a deferment from service for treatment of Internet addiction.

The main risk group for the development of this pathology in Russia are adolescents aged 13 to 17 years. Almost all of them go through the stage of natural passion and, although many of them become ordinary users in the future, a certain part goes into the category of Internet addicts. This is facilitated by a number of factors - the widespread use of home computers, the ease of connecting to the Internet, the computerization of school and student training programs, a large number of computer clubs and Internet salons.

Based on the foregoing, we determined the topic of our study "Social and psychological characteristics of Internet - dependent adolescents."

Purpose of the study:

To reveal socially - psychological features of the Internet - dependent teenagers.

Research objectives:

1. To analyze theoretical works on the problem of Internet addiction of adolescents, to develop a research program.

2. Reveal Internet addiction in teenagers.

3. Determine the socio-psychological characteristics of adolescents, namely: the type of interpersonal relationships, the level of aggressiveness and personal characteristics that are important for relationships with other people.

4. Compare the socio-psychological characteristics of Internet-dependent and Internet-independent adolescents and determine the socio-psychological portrait of an Internet-addicted adolescent.

5. Learn to conduct statistical research.

Object of study:

80 people, students of secondary school No. 12, aged 14 to 17, living in Podolsk, Podolsky district.

Subject of study:

Socio - psychological characteristics of Internet - dependent adolescents.

Hypothesis:

There are significant differences in the socio-psychological characteristics of Internet-dependent and Internet-independent teenagers.

Research methods:

1. The method of theoretical analysis of scientific literature.

2. Data collection (survey method) using the following methods:

To identify Internet addiction, the Kimberly Young Internet addiction test, adapted by V.A. Burova, is used;

To study empathy, a questionnaire was taken for self-assessment of empathic abilities by V.V. Boyko;

To study the forms of aggression, the method of diagnosing indicators and forms of aggression by A. Bas and A. Darki of A.K. Osnitsky.

3. Methods of data analysis (qualitative-quantitative) using mathematical statistics (Student's T-test). Methods of mathematical and statistical analysis were chosen in accordance with the law of normal distribution of data.

Chapter I Theoretical foundations of the study of social and psychological characteristics of Internet-addicted adolescents

1.1 Internet addiction: concept, causes and factors of occurrence

6. Internet addiction is a reason not to serve in the army// RIA "Novosti", 06.08.2005, IA "NGT".

7. The Chinese are being treated for the Internet, // 15.08.2005 // 23:37 // MIGnews.com.ua link to the British newspaperThe Times(translation - Inopressa.ru.)

8. Koemets E. Victims of computer networks. Materials of the site "Psychology of the Internet".
10. Perezhogin L.O.Internet addiction among teenagers// Department of Child Social Psychiatry // GNTs of Social and Forensic Psychiatry. V. P. Serbsky, Moscow.// www.rusmedserv.com/psychsex.

11. Psychological dictionary //http://psi.webzone.ru/st/081500.htm.

12. http://saripkro.r2.ru/science/Region_program/osog/osog1.htm.

13. Sokovnya I. Internet addiction among teenagers. http://skola2.narod.ru/parents/agress.html.

14. Suler J. People are turning into electronics. Main psychological characteristics of virtual spacehttp://www.flogiston.ru/projects/translate/electronic.shtml.

15. Yang K.S. Diagnosis - Internet Addiction// Mir Internet 2000. No. 2. P. 24-29.

25. V. Andreev Constructive theory of the virtual novel, // Internet, 1999. No. 1.

Attachment 1

Basic concepts used in the work

Internet - addiction- from English. addiction - dependence, addict - from English. addict. Other definition of Internet addiction is "an obsessive desire to get on the Internet while offline and an inability to get off the Internet while on-line.

carpal tunnel syndrome- Numbness and pain in the hand.

physical aggression– use of physical force against another person

indirect aggressionAggression directed in a roundabout way at another person or directed at no one

Irritation - willingness to show negative feelings at the slightest arousal (rudeness, irascibility)

Negativism - oppositional behavior from passive resistance to active struggle against established customs and laws.

Resentment envy and hatred of others for real or imagined actions

Suspicion- ranging from distrust and caution towards people to the belief that other people are planning and causing harm.