For Miguel J. Perelló and Consuelo Martínez. February 6, 2018
In this PsicologíaOnline article, we want to comment on the addiction to the telephone and specifically the "Addiction to divination lines", since perhaps anecdotally and not statistically significant, we have seen several cases of this type over the last year. Previously we began to see other cases related to the maladaptive use of the telephone, such as addiction to erotic lines (Martínez and Perelló, 2000) and addictions to mobile phones. All of them with a common component: the maladaptive use of the telephone.
The external stimuli They are usually: the same telephone number or places where these lines are advertised (magazines, TV ads ...), being at home and alone. Also, depending on the idiosyncrasy of each case, external triggers can be people, places and situations. For example, a person has separated from the couple, when he sees the couple, talks to her or someone tells him something about her, it raises the problem behavior (call to see if they will return).
The internal stimuli: negative emotional states (anxiety, sadness, boredom, feelings of loneliness); memories of negative past situations (eg. separation, dismissal from a job); tiredness, physical decline.
The Most frequent answers that we have evaluated in our clients are:
- Cognitive: ruminations on the subject that worries you; negative thoughts about themselves (low self-esteem) and the future; and intrusive thoughts (or internal urges to call).
- Physiological: nervousness, especially gastrointestinal disturbances (very similar to drug craving, but described with less intensity).
- Motorboat: Search for the number (magazines, advertisements, agenda); Calling compulsively until they experience relief from anxiety, this occurs after calling multiple numbers. They tend to try different numbers and change over time. Regarding the frequency and duration of calls (evaluated by telephone bills) it is very varied, It goes from 1 minute to the maximum allowed by companies (approximately 35 minutes) and they usually call daily. We have also observed a deficit in adequate behaviors to cope with their problems.
The consequences temporarily appear in this order:
- Internal negative reinforcement (relief of discomfort).
- Self-punishment: shame, guilt, feelings of worthlessness, which in many cases cause them to keep calling to alleviate them.
- External punishment of family and friends for calling (they are told off) and the Punishment that represents the high cost of calls when they receive the telephone bill.
- Another consequence that may appear is the positive social reinforcement of the client's environment towards the paranormal and that close people also make use of these lines or other means of fortune telling. Being the reinforcement pattern in all the cases that we have seen intermittent.
As you can see, Functional Analysis from a technical point of view is fascinating, and it brings together all the qualities so that behavior is learned and established in the client.
In the following image, we show an example of a functional sequence.
The problems that usually appear in evaluation interviews They are:
- Difficulty telling about the problem because they are embarrassed, and they tend to downplay it; some clients arrive with low motivation, which makes it difficult to adhere to treatment: they tend to look for quick solutions, and even in some cases, magic ones; Or, they don't openly acknowledge that they have a problem.
- Ingrained beliefs about fortune telling and the paranormal. It is not worth arguing with clients about whether or not there are paranormal powers or the like, for many of them it is a matter of faith. It is best to directly address the problem and focus the therapy on "no call."
The treatment problems They are:
- Difficulties in the control of stimuli, on the one hand, the great accessibility to a telephone, and on the other, the difficulties that telephone companies put to restrict this type of calls.
- Relapses are very common, you have to train in various skills and dedicate a phase of the treatment to the prevention of relapses.
They are not easy cases since the quick access that you can have to a telephone and the ease of contacting these types of lines means that you can call at any time and at Anywhere, also the people who attend these lines usually give them good news about the area they consult, relieving anxiety immediately but always at a very short term. The speed, accessibility, and information provided by clairvoyance lines appear to contribute to the potential for addiction, In the same way, the rate of absorption of a drug is directly proportional to the addictive potential of the drug (Greenfield, 1999).
This article is merely informative, in Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
