Causes Of Computer Addiction (Cause And Effect Essay)
Looking at it from a clinical perspective, these pathological
addictions usually have their origin early in a person's life, where
Cause and effect
they can be traced to significant deprivations and conflicts.
Serious causes of computer addiction
They may be an attempt to control depression and anxiety, and
may reflect deep insecurities and feelings of inner emptiness.
Technology has developed so much that it is almost crucial to As yet, there is no official psychological or psychiatric diagnosis of
have electronic devices at home. Our life has gotten so used to an "Internet" or "Computer" addiction. The most recent (4th)
having technology around us that we can’t imagine our lives edition of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
without them. However, while having electronic devices at home (aka, DSM-IV) - which sets the standards for classifying types of
could be comfortable and handy at times, it could also have mental illness - does not include any such category. It remains to
negative effect on children, especially on teenagers. Parents be seen whether this type of addiction will someday be included
usually buy computers for their children’s educational resource. in
But teenagers, who always seek fun activities around them, use the manual. As is true of any official diagnosis, an "Internet
computer to play games, chat with friends and to catch up with
Addiction Disorder" or any similarly proposed diagnosis must
the latest gossip on celebrities. And before they know it, they are
withstand the weight of extensive research. It must meet two
addicted to computer. Computer can cause teenagers to be
basic criteria. Is there a consistent, reliably diagnosed set of
physically, and mentally ill, and the more the child spends more
symptoms that constitutes this disorder? Does the diagnosis
time on computer, the more he/she loses time to focus on
correlate with anything - are there similar elements in the
academics, and to talk to their family.
histories, personalities, and future prognosis of people who are so
diagnosed. If not, "where's the beef?" It's simply a label with no
Many teenagers who use the computers don’t seem realize that
external validity.
sitting in front of the computer is harmful at all. The
So far, researchers have only been able to focus on that first
electromagnetic waves from the computer-screen make our brain
criteria - trying to define the constellation of symptoms that
cells get stiffen every second. Human eyes can also lose its focus
constitutes a computer or internet addiction.
and get dehydrated easily because the ELF, VLF, RF and
MICROWAVE (types of injurious electromagnetic waves). These STATEMENT OF THE
harmful waves can cause headache, drop in eyesight, a brain PROBLEMS
•
tumor and leucosis in the worst case. Moreover, sitting in front Do you feel preoccupied with the Internet or on-line services
of computer without exercising makes the teenager unhealthy. and think about it while off line?
••
But this is not the only harmful cause of computer addiction.
Do you feel a need to spend more and more time on line to
achieve satisfaction?
When it comes to computer game addiction, the situation gets ••
Are you unable to control your on-line use?
worse. Violent computer graphic games such as Star Craft, War ••
Craft or Counter Strike that are also connected with internet make Do you feel restless or irritable when attempting to cut down
teenagers – especially boys– think aggressive towards the real or stop your on-line use?
••
world. They spend most of their time figuring out another way to Do you go on line to escape problems or relieve feelings
win the battle inside the computer, and think that it is worth such as helplessness, guilt, anxiety or depression?
••
spending time into. Teenagers, who still have vulnerable and
Do you lie to family members or friends to conceal how often
weak sense of judgment, could... and how long you stay online?
•
•
Do you risk the loss of a significant relationship, job, or
educational or career opportunity because of your on-line
addictions, the scale has tipped. The bad outweighs the good,
use?
resulting in serious disturbances in one's ability to function in the ••
"real" world. Almost anything could be the target of a pathological Do you keep returning even after spending too much money
on on-line fees?
addiction - drugs, eating, exercising, gambling, sex, spending,
••
working, etc. You name it, someone out there is obsessed with it. Do you go through withdrawal when off line, such as
increased depression, moodiness, or irritability?
medication. I concluded that
••
Do you stay on line longer than originally intended? this inappropriate and excessive use of the computer might be a
QUESTIONAIRE
1.Can people really become addicted to computers? distinct disorder (Orzack et al.,
1988).
---The subject is quite complex. "Computers" are a
This behavior has variously been called Internet addiction,
very large field, encompassing many subdomains pathological Internet use, problematic
Internet use, and a mere symptom of other disorders. I am often
and programs, each of which tends to reflect or asked why I call itcomputer addiction. I was not the first to use
this term. Shotton (1989) coined the term in her book
magnify various aspects of reality.
2Are they addicted to the computers themselves, the
Computer Addiction. After searching the literature aboutal
particular programs they are running, or the real-life
coholism,gambl ing and other
aspects embodied by those programs?
---They feel the compulsion to spend so much of addictive behaviors, Shotton decided that she was witnessing
their time computing that it causes problems with computer addiction in a very
their health, finances, relationships, etc. -- the same specialized group of men who were developing hardware and
software for computers. According
kinds of problems caused by other addictions with which we are
to Shotton, these men were completely focused on their activities
more familiar. However, whether theyare truly "addicted," and
in the laboratory to the point of
what exactly they are addicted to, is not clear.
neglecting both family and friends.
3.When do you know you're an addict?
The information superhighway did not exist when Shotton wrote
---when you have no time to your self.
her book. Few ordinary citizens
4.Why is computer addiction serious? outside of academia, the military and the computer industry had
---because, it make students addicted in computer their own PCs, and fewer still
and spending more time for it.They cannot focus to there had access to the Internet. Since then we have moved into the
study. Information Age. The computer
COMPUTER ADDICTION
industry is now the fastest growing industry in the world. In 1997,
In 1995, I noticed that I was spending more and more time playing
the population of Internet
solitaire on my computer. I
users in the United States was estimated at 50 million to 80
was trying to learn a new computer program and was very
million, and is projected to increase
frustrated by it. My anger and
to 150 million to 200 million by the year 2000 (Pohly, 1995).
inability to decipher the manuals led me to escape to solitaire. I
Any new technology requires a shakedown period in which the
became aware that I started my
flaws and its effects on both
game program at an earlier time each evening, and at times I
society and individuals become evident. This is also true of the
would avoid my primary reasons
computer. As this rapidly
for using the computer. I was not alone.
Some of my patients told me about their computer use and how evolving technology develops, so do the opportunities for
they were unable to stop negative consequences from its use. It
spending time online or arranging electronic files.
is for these reasons that we must examine the phenomenon.
I decided that these patterns might indicate a form of
No epidemiological studies on computer addiction have been
dysfunctional behavior associated with a
done. There have been online
new technology, and was worth investigating. I found support for
studies (Brenner, 1997; Young, 1998) and targeted group studies
my idea from colleagues,
(Anderson, 1998; Scherer,
friends and reports in the media (Murray, 1996). As a trained
1997; Shotton, 1989), but to my knowledge no one has either
cognitive behavior therapist, I often
interviewed a randomized sample
treat gamblers, alcoholics and people with obsessive-compulsive
of people about their computer use or recorded usage directly.
disorder, and have also studied CHAPTER II
mood changes resulting from the recreational use of psychotropic DEFINITION OF TERMS
PHENOMENON geographic regions.
(from Greekφαινόμ ενoν, pl.φαινόμ ενα -phenomena) is
any observable occurrence.[1] In popular usage, a Greenfield, Dr. David N. "Virtual Addiction and the Center for
Internet Studies." (2001). Virtual Addiction and the Center for
phenomenon often refers to an extraordinary event. In
Internet Studies (23 April 2002). This website is put up by the
physics a phenomenon may be a feature of matter,
Center for Internet Studies. It provides "services, information, and
energy, or spacetime. resources on e-behavior and internet addiction in the workplace,
SEEMINGLY
families and in the community." This is an informative site that
outwardly or superficially evident but not true or real
<theseeming immortality of our heroes> gives a lot of information on internet...
America And The Computer Industry
SOLITAIRE
a game played by one person alone, as a game played America and the Computer Industry
with marbles or pegs on a board having hollows or holes.
COGNITIVE
of or pertaining to the mental processes of perception,memory,
Only once in a lifetime will a new invention come about to touch
judgment, and reasoning, as contrasted withemotional and
every aspect of
volitional processes. our lives. Such a device that changes the way we work, live, and
COLLEAGUES
A fellow member of a profession, stafacademic play is a
faculty; an associate. special one, indeed. A machine that has done all this and more
now exists in
Impact Fo Computer To Man
nearly every business in the U.S. and one out of every two
The increase in computer usage can play an important role in households (Hall,
people's lives. Computers have done a lot to improve our lives, 156). This incredible invention is the computer. The electronic
but they also have negative impacts. At times the immense computer has
amount of resources and entertainment can lead to a person's been around for over a half-century, but its ancestors have been
dependency on the computer. Here are some interesting websites around for 2000
and articles that discuss some of the pros and cons of computer years. However, only in the last 40 years has it changed the
usage, specifically the world wide web. American society.
>From the first wooden abacus to the latest high-speed
Advisory Committee Congressional Internet Caucus. (2002). microprocessor, the
Advisory Committee Congressional Internet Caucus (23 April computer has changed nearly every aspect of people's lives for
2002). This site is composed of a diverse group of public interest, the better.
non-profit groups and other organizations that are working to
educate and inform Congress as well as the public about The very earliest existence of the modern day computer's
important Internet related policy issues. This site was helpful ancestor is the abacus.
because it had links to different sites that dealt with the impact These date back to almost 2000 years ago. It is simply a wooden
the internet has on people. It had articles of recent internet issues rack holding
that can greatly affect society as well as surveys and research parallel wires on which beads are strung. When these beads are
articles people have conducted in this field of study. moved along the
wire according to "programming"
rules that the user must memorize, all ordinary
A Nation Online. "How Americans are Expanding their use of the arithmetic operations can be performed (Soma, 14). The next
Internet." (4 February 2002). How Americans are Expanding their innovation in
computers took place in 1694 when Blaise Pascal invented the
use of the Internet (23 April 2002). This article discusses how
first "digital
Americans are expanding their use of the Internet. The article is calculating machine". It could only add numbers and they had to
particularly interesting because it is based on the September be entered by
turning dials. It was designed to help Pascal's father who was a tax
2001, U.S. Census Bureau's current population survey. The results collector
from the survey, demonstrate the rapidly growing use of new (Soma, 32).
information technologies across all demographic groups and
In the early 1800's, a mathematics professor named Charles enjoy being in a fantasy world as well as being someone else,
Babbage designed an
automatic calculation machine. It was steam powered and could while escapism factor in computer games quell depression and
store up to 1000 stress and helps to easily forget about the real world troubles and
50-digit numbers. Built in to his machine were operations that
problems.
included
everything a modern general-purpose computer would need. It Yee also said "The last analysis produced is the
was programmed by achievement factor. It is...
and stored data oncards with holes punched in them,
appropriately called
"punchcards". His inventions were failures for the most part
because of the lack
of precision machining techniques used at the time and the lack of
demand for
such a device (Soma, 46).
After Babbage, people began to lose interest in computers....
Computer
Local:
One of the current craze among computer game addicts
which has reaped both praises and criticism is the Ragnarok
online. There are the early technology games such as the Warcraft
and Counterstrike, all drawing their own loyal fanatics a few years
ago.
According to a Philippine Daily Inquirer article last November
4,2007 "this online game is also played in other countries
including South Korea (2.3 million subscribers), Taiwan (100,000),
Japan (60,000) and Thailand (50,000) as of 2003".
A research conducted in the first year students of Mapua Institute
of Technology shows the effects of computer addiction to their
academic performance. The results of the survey conducted by
the researchers have shown that 11 out of 16 students were
considered as computer addicts. These students have an average
of four hours per day in front of computer. Nine of them failed on
their major courses and was not satisfied with their grades during
the first semester.
Five students admitted that theym do not always study and
always use computer. 15 of the students said that they were able
to apply what they have perceived in the computer. Five of them
lied to their parents, professors, etc. just to go to nearby
computer shops. Playing games, Facebooking, Googling, chatting,
doing school works were the most common things that these
students do when using computer.
According to Nicolas Yee, the author of the Psychology
MMORPG Games, "There are five factors why players are hooked
to online computer ------ These are the relationship, manipulation,
immersion, escapism and achievement factors."
He also describes immersion factor responsible why players
