Addiction, in its most general definition, is the continuation of a behavior despite knowing that it causes harm, accompanied by a gradual weakening and eventually a complete loss of control over that behavior. At the end of this process, the addicted person becomes disconnected from responsibilities in other areas of life. Gambling addiction and, similarly, gaming addiction involve the fundamental learning and reinforcement mechanisms of the addiction process, even though they do not involve substances.
How Does It Develop?
Addiction is a three-stage cycle. The first stage, the reward and excitement phase, provides pleasure, relief, excitement, and an escape from everyday problems. The second stage is the learning and conditioning phase and is triggered by various internal and external stimuli. These stimuli include phone notifications, money, and encouragement from friends. The third stage is referred to in psychology as compulsive repetition. Its foundations date back to research conducted with pigeons by Harvard psychologist Skinner in the 1950s. Being in anticipation of a reward without knowing when it will occur is referred to as “variable-ratio reinforcement,” and the gambling industry has designed its business model around this cycle. At the end of this cycle, the person continues the behavior not only to experience pleasure, but also to suppress inner tension, escape feelings of emptiness and anxiety, and experience excitement.
This process involves learning, attention, habit, and decision-making systems through the a