1. The Impact of Social Media on Mental Health: The Connection Between Number of Facebook Friends and Social Interest Presented by: Joseph Cice Susan Belangee NASAP 2012

2. Agenda for Presentation Introductions and background information on presentation Review of current literature regarding social media and mental health Discussion of Adlerian theoretical concepts ▫ Life tasks ▫ Belonging ▫ Social interest Current research study results Implications and potential interventions for counselors to use with clients Interactive discussion and Q&A time

3. Current Literature on Social Media & Mental Health Field is so new that little research exists Weekly hours online were related to feelings of loneliness ▫ Morahan-Martin & Schumacher (2003) Increased Feelings of Loneliness / Lower Number of Friends ▫ Sheldon (2008) Intervention (Well Being or Internet Usage) ▫ Valkenberg & Peter (2007) Cornell study with mirrors and FB ▫ Gonzales & Hancock (2011) Academic Performance ▫ Junco (2011)

4. Adlerian Concepts and Social Media Life Tasks (Ansbacher & Ansbacher, 1956) ▫ Social ▫ Love/Intimacy ▫ Work/Career Belonging (Adler, 1927) ▫ From birth, humans struggle to find their place, first in the family setting and later in the broader community. Social interest (Adler, 1970) ▫ “The goal of perfection must contain the goal of an ideal community, because everything we find valuable in life, what exists and will remain, is forever a product of this social feeling.” (original source Adler (1933) “On the Origin of Striving for Superiority and of Social Interest;” current quote from p. 35 in Superiority and Social Interest: A Collection of Later Writings, edited by Ansbacher & Ansbacher, 1970)

5. Current Study Results Instruments used: ▫ Demographics sheet (e.g., gender, age, # of Facebook friends, etc.) ▫ Beck Depression Inventory (M=13.6, min=2, max=35) ▫ Sulliman Social Interest Scale (Total, Sub1, Sub2, RDS)  Sub 1 = concern for and trust in others  Sub 2 = confidence in oneself and optimism  RDS = relationally destructive (provisional scale) Procedure ▫ Initial electronic mailing ▫ In-person data collection Results (correlations) ▫ Pilot study in terms of numbers of participants (n=10) ▫ Age (M=22.9 years), Facebook friends (M=393.8), 60% female ▫ Friends & depression (positive direction) ▫ Friends & total SSSI (negative direction) ▫ Friends & Sub1 (negative direction) ▫ Friends & Sub2 (negative direction) ▫ Friends & RDS ( positive direction)

6. Implications and Potential Interventions Knowing client’s purpose of using social media will serve as a guide (out of the literature) Differences based on age or year in school can inform practice Encourage healthy online behavior ▫ When is it too much? Utilize connectivity to increase belonging ▫ Harness social media for encouragement purposes Promote socially interested activities ▫ Fundraising opportunities? ▫ Organizing events in the community

7. Interactive Discussion and Q&A time Thoughts from audience (personal and/or case-related) Role Adlerian counselors can play in this burgeoning field? How can it be used to foster belonging and encouragement? Is it truly belonging if person never sees that “friend” face-to- face?

8. References Adler, A. (1927). Understanding human nature. Oxford, England: Oneworld Publications. Adler, A. (1970). Superiority and social interest: A collection of later writings. H. Ansbacher and R. Ansbacher (Eds.). Evanston, IL: Northwestern University Press. Ansbacher, H., & Ansbacher, R. (1956). The individual psychology of Alfred Adler: A systematic presentation in selections from his writings. New York, NY: Harper. Gonzales, A. L., & Hancock, J. T. (2011). Mirror, mirror on my Facebook wall: Effects of exposure to Facebook on self-esteem. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 14(1-2), 79-83. doi:10.1089/cyber.2009.0411. Junco, R. (2011). Too much face and not enough books: The relationship between multiple indices of Facebook use and academic performance. Computer in Human Behavior. doi:10.1016/j.chb.2001.08.026. Morahan-Martin, J., & Schumacher, P. (2003). Loneliness and social uses of the internet Computers in Human Behavior, 19(6), 659-671. doi:10.1016/S0747-5632(03)00040-2. Sheldon, P. (2008). The relationship between unwillingness-to-communicate and students’ Facebook use. Journal of Media Psychology: Theories, Methods, and Applications, 20(2), 67-75. doi:10.1027/1864-1105.20.2.67. Valkenburg, P. M., & Peter, J. (2007). Internet communication and its relation to well-being: Identifying some underlying mechanisms. Media Psychology, 9(1), 43-58.

9. Presenters’ Contact Information Joe Cice ▫ ciceja@gmail.com Susan Belangee ▫ susanbelangee@aol.com