Dr. Hans-Jürgen Wirth, Adjunct Professor of Social Psychology, Goethe University Frankfurt am Main and founder of Psychosozial-Verlag: It is entirely possible to distinguish between a need for recognition and an addictive craving for recognition.

An original basic need for recognition is anthropologically anchored in human beings. It is part of human nature, and we all need it. In childhood, the need for recognition is particularly strong because the psyche has yet to develop. Adults can make themselves somewhat independent of the recognition of others by gaining recognition for themselves. Ultimately, however, we always remain dependent on the recognition of others. This is not addictive behavior, but a basic need like drinking or eating.

However, the need for recognition can become distorted and take on an addictive character. One might assume that excessive recognition leads to a distortion of the need for recognition. However, this view raises the problem of defining excessive and appropriate.

I therefore prefer to focus on the quality of recognition: if the recognition a child receives from its parents is not genuine or altruistic, but is given by the parents in an instrumental and thus calculating and, in a sense, “abusive” manner, the child will have legitimate doubts as to whether this recognition is really genuine and sincere and applies to it personally. Or is the child only loved and recognized when they present a certain part of their personality? In such cases, psychoanalyst Donald Winnicott speaks of a “false self.” Such instrumentalizing recognition is, in a sense, poisoned and therefore unsatisfying. An addiction to recognition develops because the child only receives something that does not meet their core need for recognition. That is why it wants more and more of it, to compensate for the lack of quality with quantity.

From a psychological point of view, the addiction to recognition is comparable to other addictions. Currently, the addictive behavior of young people when using social media is the subject of much discussion, and there is already some empirical data on this. The main focus is on recognition in the form of likes. Studies still provide little insight into the causes, but the correlations are quite clear: excessive social media use correlates with other conspicuous and highly problematic behaviors such as Depression or social isolation. However, the relationship between cause and effect has not yet been clarified. What is clear, however, is that this is a type of addictive behavior. The short-term satisfaction you get when you post something or present something personal on the internet and receive lots of likes or reactions is immediate recognition and attention. Even if the response is negative, some people may see this as confirmation, thinking that it is better to receive a strong negative response than to be completely ignored.

Recorded by Stefanie Flunkert