Introduction
Gambling, video gaming, and Internet use are among the most executed activities in modern society, especially the young. There are various reasons young people engage in these practices, with others citing the economic gains they enjoy from the activity while others do it for leisure. Societies embrace gambling, video gaming, and internet use among adolescents, believing that it helps them develop problem-solving skills and leadership skills. However, various researchers have found that when these activities are included in everyday activities, they could potentially become behavioral addictions. Among these researchers were Estevez et al. (2019) who presented useful insights concerning Internet gaming, gambling and Internet use and behavioral addiction.
Summary of the Article
In summary of the article, video gaming, gambling, and internet use are addictive. Addictive behavior is any behavior that features relapse, conflict, salience, tolerance, and withdrawal. These are considered the six core components of addiction (Estevez et al., 2019). Various researchers argue that internet use is a communication platform and does not relate to behavior development. However, the article is critical on the issue by citing that internet gaming and gambling are essential factors to addictive behavior.
Gambling, video gaming, and internet use are activities that portray some level of interconnectedness. In this regard, the application of one would lead to the occurrence of the other. For example, gambling will automatically lead to internet use and internet gaming. While this might be the case, there is a significant relationship between gambling disorder and other behavioral addictions disorders. These are a type of relationship through which researchers have identified the risk factors related to behavioral addiction disorders. Estevez et al. (2019) outlined that young people have poor emotional regulation skills and have lower social competence and empathy. As such, they are more likely to fall into the trap of internet, gambling, and gaming addiction behaviors.
Although coping is viewed as the only effective strategy to minimize these activities’ advanced effects, people may have different coping strategies. Estevez et al. (2019) argue that attachment styles should be incorporated to make the coping strategy more effective. These are system styles that help mediate close relationships and reflect individual characteristics and the impact of people’s interactions. There is a growing body of evidence that gambling and internet gaming behaviors are addictive. The article outlines that researchers have identified the risk factors related to these behaviors to understand this addiction type better.
Critical Analysis
People who enjoy a secure attachment usually enjoy intimate relationships and have high self-esteem when sharing their feelings. This presents a lower risk of becoming addicted to online gaming and gambling because they can manage social media and make a significant connection with other people. They also use social media as a tool for increasing their interpersonal competency and a sense of social belonging (Estevez et al., 2019). When confronted with stressful situations, people with insecure attachment styles lack appropriate coping strategies, especially when facing stressful situations. They are said to be less flexible when dealing with stress and are at the risk of engaging in stress-relieving activities such as online gaming, which may later turn out to be addictive. Along with this evidence on attachment styles and addiction, previous literary works have indicated that coping and attachment could minimize psychological distress.
The article proposes the need for adolescents’ behavior to be regulated from their early years of growth. Parents should ensure that they develop a suitable attachment with their children. This is an effective way of making sure that they do not associate themselves with activities that may affect them. As a matter of fact, if a child feels neglected in their home background, they end up developing a negative self-concept due to the engagement with negative relationships. In an attempt to avoid such feelings, they may develop addictive behavior such as gambling, Internet gaming, and Internet use. The addictive behavior further results in attachment disorder in which the victim gets attached to the activity to the point that they cannot execute any other action. In general terms, attachment disorder is a factor of emotional protection and respect that the victim desires to achieve (Estevez et al., 2019). The article prioritizes the application of a secure attachment style to address the addictive disorders among adults.
Personal Reflection and Opinion
Gambling, internet use, and gaming activities present valuable insights concerning behavioral addiction among adolescents. In line with what has been submitted by Estevez et al. (2019) in “Attachment and Behavioral addiction in children”, I do not believe that online gaming and gambling may lead to the development of addictive behavior. Although the article draws evidence from various researchers and literary works, it cannot be argued that Internet addiction and online gaming are interrelated. Many considerations should be on the amount of time spent on the internet gaming and gabbling. In my view, the evidence suggesting that online gaming and gambling lead to addictive behaviors should be re-examined because the two constructs do not entirely overlap.
Reference
Estevez, A., Jauregui, P., & Lopez‐Gonzalez, H. (2019). Attachment and behavioral addictions in adolescents: The mediating and moderating role of coping strategies. Scandinavian journal of psychology, 60(4), 348-360.