Attention seeking (also called drawing attention or garnering attention) is when a person behaves in a way which is in pursuit of attention from others. The attention they receive gives them a good feeling and boosts their self-esteem and self-worth. Where such behaviour is excessive and inappropriate, the term is often used pejoratively in regard to children’s behaviour in front of peers or to negative domestic interactions.
Enjoying the attention of others is socially acceptable in some situations. In some instances, however, the need for attention can lead to new difficulties and may highlight underlying, preexisting ones. However, as a tactical method, it is often used in combat, theatre (upstaging) and it is fundamental to marketing. One strategy used to counter various types of attention-seeking behaviour is planned ignoring.
Dayang Nordiana Awang Othman, Registered Counselor in Psychology Office Career and Counseling Unit Student Affair Department, Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM), Samarahan Sarawak campus said: “Those in attention seeker mode could be going through either unfinished business or experiencing lack of attention at home. They could also be lacking attention from friends and are in need of someone who is willing to listen to their problems.”
Nowadays, the exposure to various social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Thumblr, Yahoo, and others can have a more negative effect rather than positive. It is through social media that these attention seekers turn to channel their ideas, thoughts and feelings. While some people use these platforms to voice their concerns of thoughts, others use it to make something viral (a viral post is something that has been shared, copied and spread across all social platforms),some posts causes negative reactions.
Dayang, who has worked as a counselor for 7 years, said that she has had cases involving people who use social media to get attention and incidences which involved viral postings. Some cases involved students although it is not a high number. Each case, she said, is unique.
“In 2015, one of my cases involved a boy who posted a negative status in Wechat about some female students at UiTM Sarawak and the post sparked public controversy. We contacted the boy and after some counseling sessions, he confessed that he posted it to vent his anger after being rejected by a Sarawakian girl. Unfortunately, this post by the boy was screen-shot and viralled by people who were offended by his post,” said Dayang.
“In another case, a man from West Malaysia took a flight to Borneo to see a girl only to be rejected. So he posted a status to vent his anger. This post went viral. Then there was a case of girl who posted a status saying she wanted to kill herself which alarmed her friends. In the end she confessed she did it just to get attention from her friends.”
According to Dayang, cases that are refered to her will be assessed and further action will be taken depending on the result. “If the person requires further treatment, he or she will be referred to the health unit in UiTM. A medical check-up will be done.
“Usually, they will be sent for counseling. In most cases, the person has a history of being bullied or they lack attention at home as their parents could be busy and they have nobody to talk to. Some will resort to social media where they posts their feelings and thoughts in order to get attention.
Dayang added that as a counselor, part of her job is to explore a client’s background in order to find the roots of their problems or issues. From there she will know the best way to help them.
