Challenging Stereotypes: Ego Functioning and Personality Pathology in Gamers versus Non-Gamers

Objective: This study seeks to unravel whether gamers, through their unique interplay of personality pathologies, object relations, defense mechanisms, and emotion regulation, stand apart from non-gamers, and if this distinction places them in a more psychologically maladaptive realm. Material and Method: Data were collected using a demographic form, the Coolidge Axis II Inventory–Short Form, the Bell Object Relations and Reality Testing Inventory (BORRTI), the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS), and the Defense Style Questionnaire (DSQ). The study analyzed data from 762 participants (N _female = 352, N _male = 396; N _gamer = 345, N _nongamer = 407). Multivariate analyses of variance and covariance were conducted. Findings: The analyses revealed distinct profiles between gamers and non-gamers in personality pathology, defense mechanisms, and emotion regulation, while no significant differences emerged in object relations. Notably, statistical power was limited across several comparisons, including those showing significance, suggesting cautious interpretation of group differences. Gamers used mature defenses more frequently and neurotic defenses less often than non-gamers, with no significant group difference in the use of immature defenses. Conclusion: These findings challenge the stereotypical assumptions about gamers’ psychological functioning, suggesting that gamers do not differ markedly from non-gamers in core ego functions such as object relations.