Korean J Biol Psychiatry.  2017 May;24(2):52-58. 10.0000/kjbp.2017.24.2.52.

The Relationship between Low Intrinsic Motivation and Basic Psychological Need in Internet Gaming Disorder

• Kim MK
• Jung YH
• Shin YB
• Kim BH
• Kim EJ
• Kim JJ

• KMID: 2385852
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.0000/kjbp.2017.24.2.52

Abstract

Due to the increasing use of the internet, various social problems have been emerging, and one of them is internet gaming disorder (IGD). The purpose of this study was to investigate whether low internal motivation was present in IGD and basic psychological needs affected internal motivation. Twenty-one individuals with IGD and 21 healthy controls performed a "˜motivation task' in which the avatar in virtual reality asked whether they would accept an activity in two conditions stimulating intrinsic or extrinsic motivation. The task performance was compared between the two groups, and was correlated with the Basic Psychological Needs Scale scores. Patients had a significantly lower acceptance rate of the proposal in the intrinsic motivation condition than controls, and this intrinsic motivated tendency was correlated with the satisfaction in their basic psychological needs. As with other substance use disorders, IGD was associated with a lower level of internal motivation, which was related to the dissatisfaction of basic psychological needs such as autonomy, competence, and relationship.

Keyword

Internet gaming disorder; Intrinsic motivation; Basic psychological needs

MeSH Terms

Humans
Immunoglobulin D
Internet*
Mental Competency
Motivation*
Social Problems
Substance-Related Disorders
Task Performance and Analysis
Immunoglobulin D