High Esteem and Hurting Others Online: Trait Sadism Moderates the Relationship Between Self-Esteem and Internet Trolling

March, Evita; Steele, G.

doi:10.1089/cyber.2019.0652

Cited by 46 publications

(29 citation statements)

References 42 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…We found that for adolescents, high psychopathy both correlated with and uniquely predicted increased incidence of trolling. This finding is consistent with results of adult samples [ 9 , 13 , 30 ], and in line with previous research that found adolescents with high psychopathy were more aggressive online [ 37 ]. For adolescents, the combination of a grandiose sense of self-worth and manipulative behaviour (i.e., interpersonal psychopathy), poor behavioural control and delinquency (i.e., behavioural psychopathy), and a lack of remorse and guilt (i.e., affective psychopathy) predicts higher trolling.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

“…Broadly, trolling has been adopted as an umbrella term to describe a range of antisocial deviant online behaviours [10]. In the current study, we follow previous empirical definitions where trolling is conceptualised as a disruptive online behaviour intended to provoke and distress others for one's own amusement [11][12][13]. Early conceptualisations of trolling outlined four main characteristics of the online behaviour: Deception, aggression, disruption, and success [14].…”

Section: Internet Trolling: Definition and Impactmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Several other factors have also been implicated as potentially playing a role in trolling behaviours. In adult samples, low self-esteem has been related to increased trolling incidence [ 7 , 13 ]. The links between self-esteem and trolling have not yet been explored in adolescent populations and therefore whether similar effects would be expected for younger populations is unknown.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

An exploration of trolling behaviours in Australian adolescents: An online survey

et al. 2023

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

To understand why people “troll” (i.e., engage in disruptive online behaviour intended to provoke and distress for one’s own amusement), researchers have explored a range of individual differences. These studies have primarily been conducted in adult samples, despite adolescents being a particularly vulnerable group with regards to both being trolled and trolling others. In this study we aimed to (1) explore Australian adolescents’ experiences of trolling, and (2) replicate adult research that has constructed a psychological profile of the Internet troll by examining the utility of personality traits (psychopathy and sadism), self-esteem, empathy (cognitive and affective), and social rewards (negative social potency) to predict adolescents’ trolling behaviours. A sample of 157 Australian adolescents (40.8% male, 58% female, 0.6% non-binary) aged 13–18 years (M = 15.58, SD = 1.71) completed the Global Assessment of Internet Trolling-Revised, Adolescent Measure of Empathy and Sympathy, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, Youth Psychopathy Traits Inventory-Short Version, Social Rewards Questionnaire, Short Sadistic Impulse Scale, and a series of questions related to the experience of trolling. Results showed in the past year, 24.2% of Australian adolescents reported being trolled and 13.4% reported having trolled others. Gender, psychopathy, sadism, self-esteem, cognitive empathy, affective empathy, and “negative social potency” (i.e., enjoyment of antisocial rewards) combined, explained 30.7% of variance in adolescents’ trolling behaviours (p < .001). When accounting for shared variance, gender (male), high psychopathy, and high negative social potency were significant predictors of trolling, aligning with findings of adult samples. Contrary to adult samples, sadism was not a unique predictor of adolescents’ trolling. For adolescents, the variance in trolling explained by sadism was nonsignificant when controlling for negative social potency. These similarities, and differences, in predictors of trolling across adult and adolescent samples may play a critical role in the development of targeted interventions to prevent or manage trolling.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

Section: Internet Trolling: Definition and Impactmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

An exploration of trolling behaviours in Australian adolescents: An online survey

et al. 2023

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Indeed, psychological theorizing (see Baumeister & Campbell, 1999) suggests that sadism is a self-protective mechanism whereby the pleasure derived from hurting others serves to offset the visceral disgust and distress associated with performing violent behavior. Consistent with that view, studies have shown the relationship between sadism and internet trolling (i.e., hurting others online) is stronger for individuals with high self-esteem (March & Steele, 2020) and sadism tends to be exacerbated when people are experiencing threats to the self (Pfattheicher & Schindler, 2015). Overall then, there is evidence from two different literatures indicating that OP and sadism are related to self-protection.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 75%

The dark tetrad personality traits moderate the relationship between ideological passion and violent activism.

Bélanger¹,

Quimpo²,

Alkindi³

et al. 2023

Psychology of Violence

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Objective: This research examines the interface between ideological passion and the dark tetrad personality traits to predict violent (vs. peaceful) political activism. Meta-analytic research shows that ideological obsessive passion (OP) is one of the strongest psychological factors associated with violent activism. Here, we examine whether this relationship is magnified by the dark tetrad (i.e., Machiavellianism, narcissism, psychopathy, and sadism), which have often been associated with antisocial behavior. Method: In Studies 1A-C, the interaction between ideological passion and the dark tetrad was tested cross-sectionally with three distinct ideological groups, namely, Democrats (N = 566), Republicans (N = 479), and Black Lives Matter supporters (N = 204). In Study 2, we tested the same model using an experimental manipulation of obsessive (vs. harmonious) passion in a sample of environmentalists (N = 233). Results: In Studies 1A-C, the relationship between OP and violent activism was systematically accentuated by sadism. Of note, these effects were specific to violent activism and unrelated to peaceful activism. In Study 2, we replicated these findings and showed that the relationship between sadism and violent activism was significant when individuals were in an obsessively (but not harmoniously) passionate mindset. Conclusion: These results shed light on the interplay between motivation and personality traits to predict violent activism.

show abstract

“…In the present research, we aim to explore the social psychological underpinnings of Internet trolling, a type of harmful online activity that may cause undesirable long-term consequences for Internet users by, for example, creating a hostile online environment and polarising opinions (Coles & West, 2016). Vast line of research shows that Internet trolling behaviors are related to antagonistic personality traits, low self-esteem, and a heightened level of negative mood (Buckels et al, 2014;Cheng et al, 2017;March, 2019;March & Steele, 2020). However, the psychological mechanisms behind these associations are less well understood.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

What makes an Internet troll? On the relationships between temperament (BIS/BAS), Dark Triad, and Internet trolling

et al. 2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Internet trolling is a provocative or offensive online behavior linked to engaging in anonymous activities that evoke negative feelings in other people. We analyzed the relationships between Internet trolling, Dark Triad traits (i.e., psychopathy, narcissism, and Machiavellianism), and the Behavioral Inhibition System (BIS)/Behavioral Approach System (BAS) in two studies. Study 1 involved a national quota sample representative of Polish young adults (N = 1,048, aged 18–25), and Study 2 involved a national quota sample of adult Poles (N = 432, aged 18–84). In both studies, we hypothesized and found that Internet trolling is predicted by low BIS and high BAS and that these relationships are mediated by high levels of psychopathy. These findings suggest that the basic temperamental dispositions may predispose individuals to irritate others on the Internet for one’s own enjoyment due to high (vs. low) levels of psychopathy. We discuss the role of temperamental and personality traits in shaping offensive online behavior.

show abstract

High Esteem and Hurting Others Online: Trait Sadism Moderates the Relationship Between Self-Esteem and Internet Trolling

Cited by 46 publications

References 42 publications

An exploration of trolling behaviours in Australian adolescents: An online survey

An exploration of trolling behaviours in Australian adolescents: An online survey

The dark tetrad personality traits moderate the relationship between ideological passion and violent activism.

What makes an Internet troll? On the relationships between temperament (BIS/BAS), Dark Triad, and Internet trolling

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About