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Internet Addiction and the Virtual Self-image

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 March 2020

T. Leménager ,
J. Dieter ,
H. Hill ,
K. Mann  and
F. Kiefer
T. Leménager
Affiliation:
Department of addictive behavior and addiction medicine, central institute of mental health, medical faculty Mannheim/Heidelberg university, Germany
J. Dieter
Affiliation:
Department of addictive behavior and addiction medicine, central institute of mental health, medical faculty Mannheim/Heidelberg university, Germany
H. Hill
Affiliation:
Institute of sports and sports science, Karlsruhe institute of technology, Germany
K. Mann
Affiliation:
Department of addictive behavior and addiction medicine, central institute of mental health, medical faculty Mannheim/Heidelberg university, Germany
F. Kiefer
Affiliation:
Department of addictive behavior and addiction medicine, central institute of mental health, medical faculty Mannheim/Heidelberg university, Germany

Abstract

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Background

Internet gaming disorder appears to be associated with self-concept deficits and increased identification with one's avatar. For increased social network use, the few existing studies suggest striatal-related positive social feedback as an underlying factor. Furthermore, few study findings indicate that internet addicts generally have problems in emotional inhibitory control processing.

Methods

Pathological and addicted internet gamers as well as social network users were compared with healthy controls regarding psychometric and neurobiological measures of self-concept-related characteristics, avatar identification and emotional inhibitory control processing.

Results and conclusion

Psychometric results indicated that both subgroups showed higher self-concept deficits compared to healthy controls. Neurobiologically, different brain activation patterns were observed in the subgroups during self-knowledge retrieval and inhibition of emotional stimuli. Furthermore, addicted internet gamers showed a higher identification with the own avatar, mirrored in an increased left angular gyrus activation, a region functionally associated with identification processing and feelings of empathy.

These findings provide a starting point for the deduction of specific psychotherapeutic treatment approaches for addicted internet gamers and social network users.

Disclosure of interest

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

Type
Symposium: gaming, gambling, behavioural addictions: challenges in diagnosis and treatment
Information
European Psychiatry , Volume 41 , Issue S1: Abstract of the 25th European Congress of Psychiatry , April 2017 , pp. S26
Copyright
Copyright © European Psychiatric Association 2017
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