Technostress and Cyberphobia: Overcoming Anxiety about ...

I bought my first computer from a sex therapist. It was back in the old days when most people my age did not have personal computers. I thought one of these machines might help me write more efficiently, but I knew nothing about computers. To hide my ignorance and intimidation, I found a computer-savvy teenager in our church who went with me to the computer store. Once inside, we met an array of machines and a vivacious salesperson who asked for my name and profession and then announced that she only sold computers part time.In my other job I work as a sex therapist,she announced.This is just a different kind of wiring.I hasten to add that I learned nothing more about her therapeutic skills, but we learned that she was a good salesperson. We left the store with a ,000 computer that created megabytes of stress before I mastered the art of making it work effectively to help me write my books. I complained to my wife about that machine for months, but when the manuscript was done I was hooked. Today, I hardly remember how to use anything as slow as a pen and paper.

In his recent book, Growing Up Digital: The Rise of the Net Generation, Don Tapscott notes that there now are 88 million people in Canada and the United States between the ages of 2 and 22.1 This is the first generation to be raised on digital technology. They, and many of their

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older Generation X siblings (or youthful parents), areor will beas comfortable with computers, the Internet, VCRs, video games, virtual communities, digital work spaces, cyberspace, information overload, and cascading technologies as I am with devices like radios or telephones. For those of us less comfortable with emerging technology, however,

there is a danger of being separated from our own kids, grandkids, clients, and students by adigital dividethat can leave us feeling helpless and on the sidelines of a techno-tsunami that is swirling around us with ever-increasing force and velocity.

Whos Afraid?

Technostress, cyberphobia, computer anxiety, and technophobics are among the terms coined in recent years to describe any kind of mild to severe discomfort with one or more forms of technology. Naturally I logged on to the Internet to get the latest information about these concepts and, to my surprise, discovered not dozens but hundreds of online articles and websites. At some time almost all of these refer to Michelle Weil and Larry Rosen whose research and book on technostress have established them as undisputed leaders in the field.2 They divide the population into three categories. About 10???15% are eager adopters who love technology, find it fun and challenging, and are the first to buy new technological gadgets. They expect to have difficulties with technology

at times, but problem solving is fulfilling and satisfying. A second category of 50???60% of the population are hesitantprove itpeople

who feel uncomfortable, awkward, self-conscious, and intimidated like I did when I bought that first computer. These people need to be

convinced and coached into using new technologies, but they are willing to try. When something goes wrong, they may panic temporarily and blame themselves, but more often they call somebody to fix the problem and they move onoften to become enthusiastic users. The remaining 30???40% are resisters. They use toasters and microwaves, of course, but they

want nothing to do with new technologies like computers, FAX machines, or cell phones. These people feel scared, uncomfortable, stupid,

overwhelmed, too embarrassed to ask for help, afraid of breaking any machine or gadget they might touch. Not surprisingly, the resisters have higher stress than the other groups, lower productivity, and less efficiency. They are the most pressured by technology although some

technostress is found in all three groups. With the speed of technological change, it is common to find anxiety about technology

throughout societyin schools (where teachers sometimes feel intimidated by their students computer expertise), government, the military,

business, homes, and counselor offices. Many people feel technologically illiterate, afraid to go exploring on the world wide web, intimidated

by technical manuals that are written by people who apparently dont speak English. It is easy to be overwhelmed by the jargon of RAM and ROM, bytes and bites, gigabyte drives and Pentium chips. But despite these fears, about 50???70 million Americans now use the Internet, a number that has tripled in the last three years and is about to triple in the next three. According to the U.S. Commerce Department, an estimated 2.7 trillion e-mail messages will be sent this year. Increasingly, physicians and counselors are discovering that their patients surf the web to get information about their illnesses, often becoming more knowledgable than their caregivers. In their clients and among their colleagues, counselors face the contrast between people who embrace new technologies enthusiastically, sometimes uncritically, and those who retreat in fear and intimidation.

What Do We Know for Sure?

The professional literature on technostress is growing, especially studies of computer anxiety. 3 As you might expect, there is evidence that increasing experience with computers and other technology reduces anxiety but not always. The type of experience is more important than

the amount. People with negative experiences are more inclined to be cyberphobic, for example, than people whose experiences have been

positive.4 Attitudes toward technology are also important. People who see computers as useful and easy to use are less anxious. (We might

ask, however, whether good attitudes reduce anxiety, or lack of anxiety leads to good attitudes). Playfulness is another dimension that has been studied. People who are spontaneous, inventive, curious, and imaginative are less intimated by technologyand more inclined to play computer gamesthan people who are more restrictive.5 Age and socioeconomic level

also make a difference. While kids tend to be less stressed by technology than adults, technostress does appear in children, especially if their schools lack modern technology or they come from poor families that cant afford computers, cell phones or VCRs.6 One other finding concerns teachers. Good instructors reduce and prevent technophobia. If a teacher or computer instructor is self-confident, patient, and enthusiastic about technology, his or her students become the same.

Reducing the Byte of Technostress

Cameron Townsend was a missionary, the founder of Wycliffe Bible Translators. He lived long before the age of computers, at the time when airplanes were making their initial appearances. Townsend introduced these new flying machines to his mission because he saw their potential for advancing the work of Bible translation. For Townsend, the new technology of his day had to be evaluated for its appropriateness to the work to which he felt called by God. Technology was not feared. It was seen as a friend and a helper, but it was never allowed to replace relationships, to reduce human connectedness, or to get in the way of worship and service. Christian counselors need a similar mentality. As the accompanying sidebar shows, there are practical ways by which you or your clients can overcome technological stress. Technology can be used in many positive ways, including our work as people helpers. But for all the technological change and high-tech possibilities, we need to remember that needs of people are always the same. They need hightouch

contact with fellow human beings and with a loving God who cares, even in a technostressed culture.

Gary R. Collins, Ph.D., former President of AACC, is Executive Editor of Christian Counseling Today and President of the International Institute for Christian Counseling. He is working to build Christian counseling internationally and can be contacted through his website: www.garyrcollins.com.

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Caring from a Distance: Technology, Coaching, and Life Management

Mary steps down into the cabin of her boat anchored off the Gulf of Mexico. She kicks off her shoes and settles down into her favorite chair as the cell phone rings. The caller is right on time phoning in for her weekly coaching session in much the same way clients used to come to Marys office for a private therapy session. The two exchange greetings, lift a prayer for the Lords blessing on their time, and pick up

immediately on an assignment Mary had e-mailed after

last weeks call.

John is sipping the last of his morning coffee as he watches nature come alive around his motor home. Traveling and seeing North America had been a dream he thought would have to wait until retirement. Locked into a full schedule in his Christian counseling practice, it had been hard to get more than a week away at any one time. Now, his phone rings and he begins a coaching session with a client who lives halfway across the continent. After three more calls, hell pop into the nearest town for

some lunch and do a little sightseeing. Later this evening hell teach two teleclasses on a bridge line with 20 to 30 students in each class.

If these scenarios sound farfetched, consider that I am writing this article from my office in the foothills of the Ozark Mountains where the nearest town has a population of 215. I could never have a counseling

practice herethere simply isnt enough clientele from which to draw. But technology and the growing field of Life Coaching have made it possible to close down my Christian counseling practice in Tampa Bay and fulfill a dream to work at home and raise our children in the country on the old family farm. All my work is done via telephone, the Internet and the FAX machine. I rarely, if ever, meet my clients face-to-face.

What is Coaching?

In my years of practice as a Christian counselor, I often found people seeking help who didnt really need to see a therapist. They were not in a state of crisis and could probably have gone on indefinitely as they were, but they didnt want to. They had a distinct feeling that something was missing. They wanted help from someone who was objective, confidential, and skilled in active listening; someone who would care about them and give honest feedback. They wanted a guide or mentor to help them find greater peace and joy in their Christian life. These

people were looking for a Life Coach. Athletes, musicians, and actors have always used coaches to improve their skills, overcome obstacles,

remain focused, and attain the level of performance their professions demand. Corporate executives and entrepreneurs hire business coaches to help them excel in their industries, take a company public, or start a new business. People even hire nutritional coaches or fitness coaches to help them work a successful weight loss program or tone up their bodies. Increasingly people are hiring Life Coaches to help them create and truly live out the lives they desire for themselves and their families.

It could be said that no one truly needs a Life Coach. People seek out a coach because they want more for their lives. One of my clients states his goal as:To learn to love my wife in a more dynamic manner. I desire to have the kind of vibrant and passionate marriage I see some

other couples have.Some of my clients are starting home businesses, switching to living on one income, or making other moves to allow them more time as a family. I work with a number of couples on effective parenting skills. Some are in life transitions or working on organizational and time management skills. I coach several Christian

counselors who are breaking free from managed care, starting their own practices, even adding coaching to their practices. Whatever their life issues, all my clients share this in common: They deeply desire richer, more fulfilling, more God-honoring lives.

Different from Psychotherapy

When an individual hires a coach, the relationship that develops will be quite different from a therapeutic one. In fact, it is critical that coaches draw a clear distinction between the service they are providing and psychotherapy. The coach becomes a collaborative partner rather than a hired expert. There is no quality ofdoctor to patientin their

interactions. Instead, the two are embarking on a journey together to understand more fully the Lords purpose for that persons life and to see that fulfilled. The coach will seek to help the person draw out and hone his or her unique gifts, talents, and calling in pursuit of the abundant life Christ purchased for us. Psychotherapy can generally be said to be about the past and present. The purpose of the work is to address past traumas, painful relationships, unconscious motivations,

faulty beliefs, psychiatric illness, and to help a person move from a place of crisis to a more acceptable level of daily functioning. Simply put, therapy is about healing. A client in need of healing is not yet ready for coaching and should be referred to a therapist. Recalling

Maslows hierarchy of needs, there are more basic issues to be addressed before the person can effectively pursue greater fulfillment. Coaching, on the other hand, is about the present and especially about the future. Starting from a place of stable functioning, the coach will help clients clarify and attain the vision they have for their lives. Coaching is about envisioning, creating, and growing. Coaching is also different from discipleship in that it is less instructional and more relational. The coach does relatively little teaching and much more questioning and challenging, helping the client take greater ownership of his or her unique giftings and life calling.

The Possibilities of Technology

Coaching can be practiced in a number of different ways, depending on the preferences of the coach and client. Without a fragile client and concerns about risk to self or others, transference or countertransference and the like, there are not the strict boundary issues critical to ethical practice in psychotherapy. Some coaches do all of their work face-to-face, but their sessions might be held over a meal at a restaurant, at their clients place of work, or even over a game of golf. Most coaches do the majority of their work over the telephone (TeleCoaching), supplementing with e-mail and FAXes. Still others do CyberCoaching, working primarily over the Internet. One of my clients is a missionary overseas, and all of our work is done in this manner. TeleClasses can be taught over bridge lines on which 100 or more students can be present at the same time from all over the world. And many coaches stay in touch with their clientele and prospect new ones through e-mail newsletters and Ezines.Online therapy can be helpful to get rid of such problems.

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The advantages of TeleCoaching and CyberCoaching are immediately apparent. For the client, a busy work schedule doesnt have to be interrupted for three hours to drive to an office across town, wait in a lobby, be seen for a 50-minute hour and drive back to work. The coach

is as near as a phone call or e-mail, and the disruption to the work schedule is minimal. For the coach, geography no longer limits the potential market. Clients can literally be anywhere in the world, and the coach is free to travel or live wherever he or she desires, so long as there is telephone and computer access.

Source: http://www.psani.org/technostress-and-cyberphobia-overcoming-anxiety-about-technology.html

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