Abstract
This paper aimed to sort out how researchers' view of the internet addiction phenomenon evolved by providing an integrated review of the related empirical and conceptual studies. We found there was a transition from a pathological disease perspective to a non-pathological adaptation perspective. On the one hand, the view point about internet addition's essence of disease was moving from substance abuse to the impulsive control disorder which is supported by majority of researches; on the other hand, due to the researches on comorbidity, whether internet addiction is a solitary disorder or not needs to be further examined. Besides, other non-pathological assumptions were discussed in this paper. ”Problematic internet use” is becoming the popular term as multidimensional and continuum spectrum perspectives toward IAD were sprouted in related references. Therefore, we recommend that future researchers exam the internet addiction phenomenon with broader perspectives taking into account the users and using conditions to figure out its various appearances and characteristics. For clinical practice, we recommend counselors to understand clients with an open mind and to explore their meaning of internet use at the inner psychological level.