| The goals of this study were to explore associations between Internet addiction (Young, 1995) and the nature and quality of both attachment style and object relations. The term, "Internet addiction" was defined as: A compulsive use of the Internet that interferes with an individual's normal psychological and social development as well as overall functioning.;Although substantial research has focused on characteristics of Internet addiction and symptoms of excessive Internet use, including its impact on social functioning and social isolation, minimal research has focused on psychological factors associated with excessive Internet use. The few studies examining such associations have suggested that Internet use in adults may be associated with attachment anxiety among individuals with high loneliness (e.g., Sum et al., 2008) and/or poor interpersonal relationships (Milani et al., 2009).;Attachment theory is sought to explain how attachment styles are related to excessive Internet use, e.g., in order to gain social support, encourage identity exploration and self-expression, reduce attachment anxiety, and fulfill emotional needs. (Oldmeadow, et al., 2013). Object relations development, specifically mental representations of self and others, has been well studied, but this study have largely examined the process of the developing psyche (Mitchell & Black, 1995).;The following three measures were administered to obtain relevant data: (1) the Demographic Questionnaires; (2) the Internet Addiction Test (IAT; Young, 1998); and (3) the Attachment and Object Relations Inventory (AORI; Buelow, McClain & McIntosh, 1996). The AORI scores (independent variable) served as predictors of the IAT scores (dependent variable). Participants, all whom were recruited from the Southern California area, included 101 males and females over 18 years of age. Of the two major hypotheses (each with three sub-hypotheses); only one was significant: Independent Attachment. |
