INTERNET DEPENDENCE IN QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS Question one: what is Internet addiction? Answer: Internet addiction (or Internet addiction) in clinical psychology is defined as “non-chemical addiction to Internet use” . Clinical signs of Internet addiction correspond to the criteria of other non-chemical addictions (for example, gambling addiction, pathological lying, pathological theft, etc.). The main ones are: Distress in the absence of interaction with a computer or other device that allows one to be on the Internet. Being on the Internet leads to negative consequences in the physical, psychological, interpersonal, family, economic, social state (situation) of the individual: physical appearance health problems caused by a long-term sedentary lifestyle; psychologically, there is a decrease in cognitive abilities, such as voluntary focusing of attention, cognitive processes decrease (a person learns ineffectively and solves intellectual problems poorly), the efficiency of memorization processes decreases, speech becomes poorer (“simplified”) "thinking); in interpersonal and family terms, a person's number of real contacts decreases and the quality of communication becomes low, aggression appears towards loved ones who distract them from the Internet or try to reduce the time spent on a device connecting to the Network. A person is not interested in close real relationships with anyone, he is not interested in learning anything, working, participating in real social life. It is important to note that a person does not immediately arrive at the described symptoms, this is the first thing. Secondly, the formation of any addiction (including from the Internet) occurs on the basis of certain characteristics of a person and the current situation of his life. For example, high anxiety, emotional immaturity of the individual, a tendency to depression, inadequate self-esteem (usually low), low level of communication skills, etc. associated with Internet addiction. In addition, these features are often accompanied by an unfavorable external situation: parents pay little attention to their child, parents or other loved ones themselves suffer from chemical or non-chemical addictions, bullying of the child in a team, etc. Among young people, this type of addiction appears more often because This type of media is relatively “new” and the most mastered by them. However, if you look at it more broadly, quite a lot of people aged 30-65 are, for example, TV addicts. And the described symptoms can be applied to them by simply replacing the Internet with TV. The second question: how to understand that you are an Internet addict? Answer. If you have signs of addiction, namely: - inability and unwillingness to interrupt being on the Internet; - frustration and irritation that arise in a situation of distraction from the Internet; - obsessive desire to “go online”, obsessive thoughts about it if you are not on the Internet ;- time spent on the Internet not for work or study exceeds 3 hours a day; - inability to plan the end of work on the Internet; - desire to spend more and more money on entertainment on the Internet; - lying to friends, relatives, family members about the time spent on the Internet; Internet; - ignoring household duties, educational or work assignments when immersed in the Internet; - while on the Internet, “liberation” occurs from feelings of guilt, helplessness, incompetence, anxiety and the appearance of a state of emotional uplift (some euphoria). The third question: is it necessary? How to fight this addiction? Answer: it depends on who asks this question. The Internet addict himself, especially in severe cases, will not “fight” his addiction, just like any alcoholic or drug addict in a severe stage of the disease. If you are a loved one of an Internet addict, then your “struggle” will most likely lead to a worsening of the situation, since you are part of the “problem” (involved in a codependent relationship with the Internet addict). In this case.