Today could be represented with one word, Postmodernism. Postmodern Era has extreme pluralism and post-centralization at the center of the spirituality. This pluralistic trend effected actual phenomenon of culture and changed thought and behaviour of ...
Today could be represented with one word, Postmodernism. Postmodern Era has extreme pluralism and post-centralization at the center of the spirituality. This pluralistic trend effected actual phenomenon of culture and changed thought and behaviour of humanity directly and indirectly. The youth is the generation which exhibits postmodern tendency of culture in the most vivid colour. As the value system of the youth becomes pluralistic, it brought new ways of behavior. An example of those way of behaviour is internet addiction which entice the youth into the cyber world with the internet as a moderator. It soon became the most serious social problem. Internet addiction has high popularity and rapidly transfers among the public compared to drug, cotics or sexual addiction. Though it is the worst case of self-destruction, the public is not aware of this factor.
Postmodernism is not just a part of an event but a general and comprehensive phenomenon of this age. For it is almost impossible to cover all the problem of youth in post modern era, this study limits its consideration on internet addiction of youth which is the dominant backward effect of postmodern culture.
There are plenty of research papers on youth counseling as a part of pastoral consultation while comparatively few researches have been taken place on the subject of youth problem related to post modernism which has a big influence on the youth. Study on internet addiction of the youth and the alternative has been a particularly weak area. While there are many studies of literature, art and philosophy with the subject of postmodernism going on, studies of postmodernism related to christian counseling is rare. This situation is why this study is required.
Up to now, christian counseling of the youth has relied on the free reason and rationality which is the result of modern trend of thought for cross-understanding. Accordingly, the existing method of consultation which appealed to rational reason or scientific statistics and adopted method of general psychology needs to be sublated.
Even though the extreme pluralism of postmodernism is a crisis of christian theology, it provides an opportunity to present christian character of counseling. In other word, a counseling method with more vivid color of Christianity is desperately required. Therefore this study aims to find ways of recovering the soul and personality of the youth from internet addiction through a christian counseling based on the bible.
The content of this study is abstracted as follows.
It investigated postmodernism as the time spirituality of this age which is the main factor of cultural tendency of the youth. The youth are living a completely different world where the rationalism based on modernism and scientism based on cause-and-effect have disappeared and fondness on technocracy has collapsed. To guide and counseling the youth of this age, the content and characteristics of new age must be explored. Internet addiction is an example of breakaway to the cyber world. It is combined result of pop culture, pluralistic culture and cyber culture which is in lack of reality. So, understanding of postmodernism, the paradigm of new age, is required to talk about internet addiction. Accordingly, the introduction of this study observes the concept and ideological characteristics of post modernism and cultural phenomenon.
Next part of the study explores the developmental characteristics of the youth in postmodern era. It is imperative to mention on the developmental characteristics of the youth to study christian counseling for youth who suffer from internet addiction. This part of the study explores physical, intellectual and social characteristics of the youth to have a general understanding of adolescence and argue the speciality of adolescence as so called marginal man. In addition to this, the characteristics of the youth in the postmodern era was investigated and it was concluded that the youth's cyber culture is a characteristic of postmodernism after the extinction of the enlightenment.
For the next step, this study considered the actual situation of internet addiction. There was various type of internet addiction. Common types of internet addiction are addiction to communication, game and unsavory material. Kimberly S young divided others into categories of addiction to cyber sex, addiction to cyber relation, obsession to network, excessive merge on information and addiction to the computer. These addiction is seriously harming the youth who is referred as internet generation more than alcoholism harms the older generation.
Finally, this study discuss about effective christian counseling to cure the internet addiction of the youth. As this study consider the internet addiction as an influence of postmodernism, the time spirituality of this age, an alternative of counseling to cure internet addiction is required. And the alternative of christian counseling adoptable to postmodern age is nothing but a christian counseling with the authority of the bible and effects of prayer.
It is well-known fact that pluralism and post-centralism is the main idea of postmodernism. Postmodernism cognizes the world with a pluralistic and relative view. It seems to conflict traditional christian belief which is based on the absolute value of the bible and uniqueness of the God.
However, several scholars like Thomas Oden accepts post modernism positively from the aspect of missionary and consider that postmodern pluralism could be a base to present the vivid color of Christianity. In other word, Oden took post modern age as a good time to go back to legitimism.
This study explored the method of christian counseling to cure the youth who suffer from internet addiction which is the backward effect of cyber culture in post modern age and discovered that recovery of Christian spirituality through the bible and prayer is the most realistic and effective way. For concrete method, 12 steps program which is transformed from AA course for alcoholics was suggested and experience of despair, humility, self-abandonment, conversion, healing power of grace were presented as the concrete items of christian spirituality.
The power of sin is increasing and christian counseling must be continued to guide the youth to the right path. The primary purpose of this study is to help the youth be free from the pain of internet addiction and enjoy the true freedom of life and, in the end, become a competent worker of Christ.