The role of emotion in maladaptive internet use: Internet addiction, problematic internet use, and deficient self-regulation

Abstract

This chapter examines maladaptive internet use. Maladaptive internet use is defined as patterns of internet use that routinely create problems for users. The authors review the history of maladaptive internet use, followed by a discussion of three distinct perspectives of this phenomenon: the disease model, the cognitive-behavioral model, and the social-cognitive explanation. Special attention is given to the role of affective states as antecedents and outcomes of maladaptive internet use. The state of contemporary scholarship on this topic is then evaluated, focusing on recent trends and methodological limitations. The chapter concludes with a discussion of gaps in the literature and directions for future research on maladaptive internet use.