Adolescents' Over-Use of the Cyber World--Internet Addiction or Identity Exploration?

Autor/inn/en	Israelashvili, Moshe; Kim, Taejin; Bukobza, Gabriel
Titel	Adolescents' Over-Use of the Cyber World--Internet Addiction or Identity Exploration?
Quelle	In: Journal of Adolescence, 35 (2012) 2, S.417-424 (8 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0140-1971
DOI	10.1016/j.adolescence.2011.07.015
Schlagwörter	Questionnaires; Adolescents; Internet; Addictive Behavior; Self Concept; Adolescent Attitudes; Measurement; Qualitative Research; Definitions; Therapy + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Fragebogen; Adolescent; Adolescence; Adoleszenz; Jugend; Jugendalter; Jugendlicher; Selbstkonzept; Messverfahren; Qualitative Forschung; Begriffsbestimmung; Therapie
Abstract	In this study, we tested the hypothesis that the Internet can serve as a valuable tool assisting adolescents in pursuing the developmentally-related need for self concept clarity. Participants in the study were 278 adolescents (48.5% girls; 7th-9th graders) who completed questionnaires relating to their levels of Internet use, Internet addiction, ego development, self consciousness, self-concept clarity, and personal demographic data. The study results support the general notion that adolescents' level of self-clarity is negatively related to Internet addiction and over-use. Hence, it is suggested that future studies on adolescents' Internet over-use should use qualitative rather than quantitative conceptualization and measurements in order to properly explore such a behavior and its, either positive or negative, implications. A differentiation is proposed between "over-users", "heavy users", and "addicted users". Namely, "over-users" and "heavy users" utilize the Internet for age-related and modern-life-related purposes, and hence should not be labeled as addicted. Implications for the measurement, definition, and treatment of Internet over-use are suggested. (Contains 3 tables.) (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10