here - Philipp Masur

The Interplay of
Intrinsic Needs and
Motives in Explaining
Addictive Behavior on Facebook
Philipp Masur
University of Hohenheim, Germany
1. Theoretical Background
2. Method
3. Results
4. Discussion
2
Early efforts in conceptualizing addictive behavior in
online environments
Literature review
 the term ‘Internet addiction’ describes problematic forms of Internet use
(e.g., Griffiths, 1999; Young, 1996, 1998)
 no consensus on a clear definition of Internet addiction
 no entry in current diagnostic manuals, e.g., Diagnostic and Statistical Manual
of Mental Disorders (5th ed.; American Psychiatric Association, 2013)
3
Internet-induced psychopathologies manifest
themselves very differently
Theoretical background
 ‘Internet addiction’ does not determine a clear object of the addiction (Griffiths,
1999; 2012)
 Internet usage patterns have become very diverse
 different affordances and various new gratifications
 need for a more specific view on the addictive use of specific Internet
applications
4
Self-determination theory and addictive behavior online
Theoretical background
 innate psychological needs (such as autonomy, competence, and relatedness)
constitute the basis for their motivation, behavior, and psychological well-being
(Ryan, 1995; Ryan & Deci, 2000)
 relationship between intrinsic need satisfaction and obsessive behavior was
found (e.g., Przybylski, Weinstein, Ryan, & Rigby, 2009)
 using SNSs can also satisfy the intrinsic needs for competence and autonomy
(Reinecke, Vorderer & Knop, in press)
5
Uses & gratification research and addictive behavior
Theoretical background
 postulates that users actively choose media stimuli in order to fulfill specific
needs.
 virtual community building, information, entertainment, and relationship
maintenance positively related to Internet addiction
(Song, Larose, Eastin & Lin, 2004)
 Motives like self-presentation and relationship building were found to predict
problematic SNS use (Chen & Kim, 2013)
6
The influence of intrinsic needs on SNS addiction is
mediated by motives of SNS use
Hypothetic model
Motive 1
Autonomy
Competence
Relatedness
SNS
addiction
Motive …
INTRINSIC
NEEDS
MOTIVES
SYMPTOMS OF
ADDICTION
7
The influence of intrinsic needs on SNS addiction is
mediated by motives of SNS use
Hypotheses
The level of perceived autonomy in daily life is negatively related to the
H1
motives for self-presentation and escapism which, in turn, are
positively related to SNS addiction (mediation hypothesis 1).
The level of perceived competence in daily life is negatively related to the
H2
motives for information seeking and self-presentation which, in turn, are
positively related to SNS addiction (mediation hypothesis 2).
The level of perceived relatedness in daily life is negatively related to the
H3
motives for self-presentation and for meeting new people which, in turn, are
positively related to SNS addiction (mediation hypothesis 3).
8
1. Theoretical Background
2. Method
3. Results
4. Discussion
9
Data collection and sample characteristics
Methodology
 July to August 2012
 Socio Scientific Panel (Leiner, 2012)
 non-representative, convenience sample
 Sample size: N = 581
 Gender: 67% females
 Age: M = 29 years (SD = 11 years)
 Average time spent on Facebook per day: M = 48 minutes (SD = 57 minutes)
10
Design of the online survey
Methodology: Scales and Measures
 SNS addiction scale (based on the Internet Addiction Scale by Hahn & Jerusalem, 2010)
 five dimensions: loss of control, tolerance, withdrawal syndrome, negative
consequences for social relations, negative consequences for work and performance
 MTotal = 1.74 (SD = 0.57)
“My thoughts often rotate around Facebook, even when I am not online”
11
Design of the online survey
Methodology: Scales and Measures
 motives of SNS use (based on prior U&G research)
 seven dimensions: escapism, self-presentation, entertainment, information seeking,
socializing, meeting new people
“I use Facebook to take my mind off things”
 intrinsic need satisfaction scale (La Guardia et al., 2000)
 three dimensions: autonomy, competence, relatedness
“In my daily life, I feel free to be who I am.”
12
Computing parallel multiple mediation models
Methodology: Data Analysis
 SPSS extension PROCESS (Hayes, 2012)
 95% bias-corrected confidence intervals (CIs) for all effects were calculated
through 5,000 bootstrapped samples
 the null hypothesis is rejected at the α-level of significance if the confidence
intervals do not include 0 (Preacher & Hayes, 2008)
 it is often not appreciated that statistics in their original metrics can be
considered effect sizes if they are directly interpretable (Preacher & Kelly, 2011)
13
1. Theoretical Background
2. Method
3. Results
4. Discussion
14
Classification criteria and cut-off-points
Prevalence of SNS addiction
 mean score of 3 or above on all five dimensions classifies SNS addiction
 mean score between 2.5 and 3 on all five dimensions classifies “at risk of
becoming addicted”
 in order to establish an optimal cut-off point, the scale should be validated in
clinical settings
15
Only 2.9 percent can be classified as SNS addicts
Prevalence of SNS addiction
2,9%
9%
Not Addicted
At Risk
Addicted
88,1%
16
The indirect effect of perceived autonomy on
SNS addiction (Parallel multiple mediation model 1)
Hypothesis 1 supported
selfpresentation
0.20**
-0.31**
autonomy
SNS
addiction
n.s.
-0.33**
0.23**
PROCESS (Hayes, 2012)
Bias corrected confindence intervals
escapism
Bootstrapping with 5000 samples
Indirect effect: -0.14, 95% CI [-0.19, -0.09]
Total effect:
-0.14, 95% CI [-0.21, -0.07]
17
The indirect effect of perceived competence on
SNS addiction (Parallel multiple mediation model 2)
Hypothesis 2 supported
information
seeking
0.20**
-0.14*
SNS
addiction
-0.12**
competence
-0.23**
PROCESS (Hayes, 2012)
Bias corrected confindence intervals
Bootstrapping with 5000 samples
0.21**
selfpresentation
Indirect effect: -0.07, 95% CI [-0.12, -0.03]
Total effect:
-0.19, 95% CI [-0.26, -0.12]
18
The indirect effect of perceived competence on
SNS addiction (Parallel multiple mediation model 3)
Hypothesis 3 supported
selfpresentation
0.28**
-0.30*
relatedness
SNS
addiction
n.s.
-0.21**
PROCESS (Hayes, 2012)
Bias corrected confindence intervals
Bootstrapping with 5000 samples
0.06*
meeting
new people
Indirect effect: -0.10, 95% CI [-0.14, -0.06]
Total effect:
-0.10, 95% CI [-0.17, -0.03]
19
1. Theoretical Background
2. Method
3. Results
4. Discussion
20
SNS use may compensate for thwarted intrinsic needs,
but seeking gratifications may become compulsive
Discussion
 complex interaction between offline need satisfaction and online gratification
seeking
 user with low levels of intrinsic need satisfaction in daily life may find
corresponding gratifications in using SNS
 paradoxical picture of SNS use: SNS offer opportunities for satisfaction of
central human needs, but these gratifications may promote the risk of SNS
addiction
21
SNS use may compensate for thwarted intrinsic needs,
but seeking gratifications may become compulsive
Limitations and conclusion
Potential limitations
 Non-representative sample
 Addictive behaviors are complex psychological disorders; a self-report
instrument may oversimplify the actual phenomenon
 Cross-sectional design
Future research
 Do thwarted intrinsic needs and corresponding gratifications explain also other
excessive behavioral patterns and addictions?
22
People with low levels of intrinsic need satisfaction in their daily life,
seek compensating gratifications when using social network sites.
Yet, this gratification seeking might become compulsive
and foster addictive behavior.
23
Thank you for your attention!
Please cite as:
Masur, P. K., Reinecke, L., Ziegele, M. & Quiring, O. (2014). The interplay of intrinsic need
satisfaction and Facebook specific motives in explaining addictive behavior on
Facebook. Computers in Human Behavior, 39, 376-386. doi:10.1016/j.chb.2014.05.047
Philipp Masur M.A.
University of Hohenheim
Department of Media Psychology (540F)
Wollgrasweg 23
70599 Stuttgart
Mail: [email protected]
Phone: (0711) 459-24792
References
Chen, H.-T., & Kim, Y. (2013). Problematic use of social network Sites: The interactive relationship between gratifications sought and privacy concerns.
Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 16(11), 1-7. doi:10.1089/cyber.2011.0608
Hahn, A., & Jerusalem, M. (2010). Die Internetsuchtskala (ISS): Psychometrische Eigenschaften und Validität (The Internet addiction scale: Psychometric
characteristics and validity). In D. Mücken, A. Teske, F. Rehbein, & te Wildt, B. T. (Eds.), Prävention, Diagnostik und Therapie von Computerspielabhängigkeit
(pp. 185-204). Lengerich: Pabst Science Publishers.
Hayes, A. F. (2012). PROCESS: A versatile computational tool for observed variable mediation, moderation, and conditional process modeling.
<http://www.afhayes.com/public/process2012.pdf> Retrieved 13.11.13.
Griffiths, M. D. (1999). Internet addiction: Fact or fiction? Psychologist, 12, 246-250.
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518-520. doi:10.2466/01.07.18.PR0.110.2.518-520
La Guardia, J. G., Ryan, R. M., Couchman, C. E., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Within-person variation in security of attachment: A self-determination theory perspective on
attachment, need fulfillment, and well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 79(3), 367-384. doi:10.1037//0022-3514.79.3.367
Preacher, K. J., & Kelley, K. (2011). Effect size measures for mediation models: Quantitative strategies for communicating indirect effects. Psychological Methods,
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Przybylski, A. K., Weinstein, N., Ryan, R. M., & Rigby, C. S. (2009). Having to versus wanting to play: Background and consequences of harmonious versus obsessive
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