Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 20, 2025

Comparing Eye-tracking Data of Children with High-functioning ASD, Comorbid ADHD, and of a Control Watching Social Videos
Published on: December 7, 2018
How maladaptive cognitions contribute to the development of problematic social media use
Giulia Fioravanti1, Gordon Flett2, Paul Hewitt3
1Department of Health Sciences, Psychology Unit, University of Florence, via di San Salvi 12, 50100 Florence, Italy.
Abstract:
The current study investigates the effects of perfectionism discrepancies (PD) and social hopelessness (SH) on problematic social media use as conceptualized by the cognitive-behavioral model.
Methods:
A sample of 400 university students (52.3% women; mean age = 22.01 ± 1.99) completed measures assessing PD, SH, and problematic social media use.
Results:
Structural equation modeling showed that both social hopelessness and feeling discrepant from personal and prescribed standards predicted the preference for online social interactions (POSI). POSI predicted the motivation to use online social media as a means of alleviating distressing feelings, the inability to regulate social media use and the negative outcomes resulting from use of SNS.
Conclusions:
In line with the cognitive-behavioral model of problematic Internet use, the present study suggests the primary importance of maladaptive cognitions about the self (i.e. perfectionism discrepancies) and the world (i.e. social hopelessness) for the development of a preference for online social interactions. In particular, the present study shows that individuals are likely to opt for online social interactions as a function of their pessimistic social expectancies and the sense of inadequacy that comes from perceptions of falling short of expectations.
More Related Videos
08:42Design and Implementation of an fMRI Study Examining Thought Suppression in Young Women with, and At-risk, for Depression
Published on: May 19, 2015
08:53Integrating Computerized Linguistic and Social Network Analyses to Capture Addiction Recovery Capital in an Online Community
Published on: May 31, 2019
Related Concept Videos
Social Foundations of Self IV: Self in Digital Communication
Beck's Cognitive Therapy
Arbitrary Inference
Arbitrary inference involves making conclusions without sufficient...
Social Foundations of Self II: The Generalized Other
Self-Presentation: Self-Monitoring and Self-Handicapping
Causes of Social Behavior II: Cognitive Processes
Social Anxiety Disorder