RATIONAL EMOTIVE BEHAVIOR THERAPY AS AN ALTERNATIVE TO DECREASE DURATION OF ONLINE GAME ADDICTION

Abstract

Online game addiction is seen as an escape route from real life situations which considers self threatening or giving uncomfortable feeling. Anonymity, social, and achievement elements that offers in online game used by players to cover their weaknesses, achieve recognition and social acceptance to deeply involved in continuously playing online game, even though their daily life is already disturbed and they realized that this activity should be controlled. An irrational perspective in real life situation, comes along with negative emotions, will be treated with REBT. REBT is a therapy approach that emphasize on the interaction between mind, feeling, and behavior. By giving REBT, players could comprehend their uncomfortable feeling, establish insight and self-acceptance, and doing activities that usually being avoided. So, it makes the online game addiction lessen, proved by the decrease of playing duration. This study involving 3 participants, age ranged from 23-25 years old, and having more than 1 year of addiction. Addiction level data was collected by interview, observation, and Internet Gaming Disorder-20 Test questionnaire. Treatment includes of pre-session, 6 REBT sessions, and follow-up session. The data of playing duration before and after treatment then compared. The result shows that REBT is effective to decrease playing duration for the research participants (significant at level 0.024), that is 82 hours, 88 hours and 43 hours per week, become 35 hours per week (suggested playing duration). Participants shows better life functioning and better psychological condition, and establishment of internal control for relapse prevention, so it can say that the participants is no longer be in addiction phase