Addressing Mobile Phone Addiction Through Functional Analysis

Functional analysis is a model of psychological formulation designed to understand the functions of human behavior. It has its origins in behavioral psychology. At its core, functional analysis assumes that all behavior is learned, and that all behaviors serve some purpose. This applies equally to challenging behaviors (such as violence or self-harm) as to more socially acceptable acts (Sturmey, 2007; Cipani & Schock, 2010).

A true functional analysis includes in some way manipulating either the antecedents or consequences of a behavior, to see if this effects how frequently the behavior is used. This is an experimental method which allows us to more confidently establish what is causing a behavior. This can pose ethical and practical challenges in secure environments, and throughout our practice we have to consider the safety and well-being of everyone. Functional analysis can be an incredibly useful tool, but often it is part of a wider formulation. The functional analysis occupies a central role in behavioral construct systems and in behavior therapy. However, examination of the literature suggests that it is a conceptually amorphous term with multiple definitions. Such imprecision has resulted in inconsistency and restricted applications in clinical case conceptualizations and clinical decision-making. In order to clarify the nature of the functional analysis, this paper examines its epistemological bases and important dimensions of functional relationships. The goal of Functional Analysis is to identify the client's problematic thinking so that they can learn new thoughts and feelings contributing to a productive maladaptive response. The process of Functional Analysis may take some time between the therapist and the client although it is best to go through this stage of the therapy so that all of the necessary data relating to behavior or trauma can be collected and studied intricately. The focus is to illustrate the necessary information pertaining to the client so that it can be reversed which allows for the creation of a new maladaptive behavior. Through direct observation and systematic manipulation, the therapist will create a new, effective pattern in the client that is beneficial toward their wants and needs.

This methodology works by paying attention to the client's behavior. The counselor will look at how frequent it's displayed, what it consists of and how intense it is. There are certain antecedents that have resulted in this behavior: people, events, objects and activities. The antecedent will be identified first because this is what translates the behavior. The therapist is going to anticipate the response and prevent it if it is possible to do so. After those have been recognized the therapist will then acknowledge the consequences and deliberate them to the client so that they have a deeper understanding of the cause and their effect. There are some consequences in clients that can result in a learning behavior or create a new problem that is damaging toward their happiness. There are some outside factors that can also affect the way that a patient is responding and creating consequences. The counselor will make note of these to the client so that they are aware of the effect that it may be having toward their body. If the client already has a difficult time responding in some situations, it may not help if they are not getting an adequate amount of sleep or practicing an unhealthy diet. These outside factors can actually promote their negative behavior because of the chemical imbalances in their body. As the patient becomes more familiar with these outside factors they will also learn that they are in control of something that can help prevent the negative behavior.

The amount of time that it takes to conduct the Functional Analysis stage will depend on the antecedents and behavior of the patient. If they have a difficult time expressing themselves or are aggressive in responding to the treatment it could take more session hours. Regardless, the stage focuses on the root cause of a behavior and dispels it from the client so that they can learn new ways to process information and react to their environment. By the time the treatment has been completed the individual will have gained a consistent thought process that contributes to their wellbeing and relationships. It's important to feel in control of responses so that we are not acting in an involuntary manner as a result of ‘something that has happened to us in the past.

Functional Analysis is used when a client possesses a behavior that is detrimental toward themselves. They may be confused as to why they process information and respond to situations the way that they do. In order to change this behavior and their current relationships it is necessary to understand their function and what has caused it. This is used when a patient truly wants to improve themselves by acknowledging their trauma or issues and move forward so that they can get rid of the habitual thinking and doing. The 'antecedents' behind their behavior must be changed before balance can be found.

Mobile Phone Addiction

Cell phones are constantly being improved by expanding upon their functionalities, which in turn increases the likelihood of overuse and addiction. According to the PEW Research Center, 67% of smartphone owners have admitted to checking their phone for calls or messages when their phone didn’t vibrate or ring. This is one major sign of cell phone dependence and should serve as a warning to cell phone owners.

A 2018 Pew Research Report showed that 45 percent of teens said they use the Internet “almost constantly,” and another 44 percent said they go online several times a day. According to this report, 50 percent of teenage girls are “near-constant” online users, compared to 39 percent of teenage boys. 95 percent of teens have access to a smartphone. Overuse of mobile phone leads to behavioral addiction. This reflects in the everyday behavioral pattern of the individuals. The various mobile phone addiction symptoms are summarized from various journal papers pertaining to the aforesaid issue (Kiran, Sanjana, & Reddy, 2012). Excessive cell phone use among teens is so common that 33 percent of 13-year-olds never turn off their phone, day or night. And the0younger a teen acquires a phone, the more likely they are to develop problematic use patterns.

For girls, dependent use patterns may develop because phones become important tools of social interaction, whereas boys demonstrate a greater tendency to use phones in risky situations. Pew Research Center reports that 81 percent of Americans now own smartphones — up from just 35 percent in 2011. And, over the past 5 years, Google Trends indicates that searches for “cell phone addiction” have likewise been rising. But there’s some debate among medical and mental health professionals about whether problematic cell phone use is truly an addiction or the result of an impulse control issue. Many medical experts are reluctant to assign the word “addiction” to anything other than habitual substance misuse.

PROCEDURE

Firstly, I thought about my disorganized behavior or problematic behavior and collect thoughts about the behavior which I want to change. Then I got my weak point that I have an addiction of using phone. I use phone even when I am talking with family members and friends and even in class too. After that I make a list to analyze in which situation or circumstances I show the behavior and what are the circumstances of that behavior. Then I will make a chart of my problematic or undesirable behavior to see the frequency of using phone for one week. After that I will make another chart of one week in which I overcome the undesirable behavior. For this purpose, I have observed the phone usage time. I have fixed my time for a week to not to use mobile phone in that time. The time I selected was 8 PM to 11 PM daily for one week.

Mobile Addiction

S.No Days Timings Behavior Frequency (minutes) Function Of That Behavior Consequences

1 Monday 8:00 pm to 11:00pm Excessive use of mobile phone in home. Wasting family time on phone watching videos and using other apps which are not important. 150 Wasting family time, not paying attention on any family discussions, Boredom, Procrastination, Less focus on studies. Bad effect on eye sight, thinking about nonsense stuff, wasting time on tik tok, laziness, bad mental health which leads to tension.

Intervention Plan

Procedure:

I am working on my undesirable behavior to be change by functional analysis. For this purpose, I have to change it by making an intervention plan. For this purpose, I will make a chart for one week and I will analyze my behavior for one week. I will not use my mobile phone for one week between 7 PM to 11 PM. I will change this undesirable behavior by not using my mobile phone during this time period and I will give this time to my family and close friends. For this change I will not use mobile at this time and I will do some interesting activity with mother or family and in this way I will change my behavior. I will read books or watch television with family and take a part in family discussions and other matters.

Results:

Mobile Addiction S.No Days Timings Behavior Frequency (Minutes) Function Of That Behavior Consequences

1 Monday 8:00 pm to 11:00pm Spend time with family and close friends. Take a part in family discussions. And will do gossip with mother and also cooking and helping her. 120 minutes Enjoy family time, start paying attention on family discussions, Active, mentally relaxed, more focus on studies. This time will help me in building up a stronger relationship with my family and close friends. Improve my mental health.

Discussion:

Functional analysis has helped me a lot to minimize my undesirable behavior. This was a quiet challenging task for me because it was my stronger habit to use mobile phone every time. So by functional analysis I came to know that how much it was difficult to stop this much usage of phone but I tried my best to overcome this habit. Negative behaviors are so strong that you have to work a lot to minimize them but if you are committed to your task you can do it.

Conclusion:

Undesirable behaviors and desirable behaviors, both are dangerous if you are addicted to them. So you have to control yourself from making an addiction of any kind of behavior. Because these kind of behaviors can ruin your mental health. Not every undesirable behavior is dangerous but if you have an addiction of it then it could be dangerous for you and also for those who are close to you. Functional analysis is an activity that can help you to stop the undesirable behavior easily and intervention plans will help you to reduce those undesirable behaviors. After this activity you cannot built this type of activity again. And it will help you to succeed in life and achieve your life goals.

References

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