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Internet trolling and everyday sadism: Parallel effects on pain perception and moral judgment
Erin E Buckels1, Paul D Trapnell2, Tamara Andjelovic2
1University of British Columbia.
Journal of Personality
|April 18, 2018
Summary
Online trolling is strongly linked to sadistic personality traits. This study reveals that the pleasure and rationalization found in sadism are also key drivers of trolling behavior.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Cyberpsychology
- Personality Science
Background:
- Online trolling is a prevalent form of cyber-aggression.
- Sadistic personality traits involve deriving pleasure from others' suffering.
- Understanding the psychological underpinnings of trolling is crucial for intervention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between sadistic personality and online trolling behavior.
- To determine if the reward and rationalization processes in sadism are present in online trolling.
- To provide empirical evidence linking sadism to the motivation behind trolling.
Main Methods:
- Surveyed 1,715 online respondents (adults and students) on personality and trolling.
- Administered judgment tasks assessing pleasure and harm minimization from suffering stimuli (Study 1).
- Developed and validated the iTroll questionnaire and assessed moral judgment (Study 2).
Main Results:
- Online trolling showed a strong correlation with a sadistic personality profile.
- Sadism and trolling predicted similar patterns of pleasure derived from suffering and harm minimization.
- Sadism's influence on trolling remained significant even after accounting for other antisocial traits.
Conclusions:
- Online trolling is, in part, motivated by sadistic tendencies.
- Sadistic pleasure, facilitated by rationalization, can be expressed through online trolling.
- This research clarifies the psychological drivers of online trolling, highlighting the role of sadism.
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