Journal of Psychology & Behavioral Science

Trait Disinhibition and Narcissism as Predictors of Perception of Online Violence
Damir Marinic, PhD

Abstract
Online disinhibition effect designates phenomena where people in general exhibit less controlled behavior in online, than in similar offline situations, which may include toxic behavior such as verbal bullying, hiding identity online, exposing privacy of other people in a humiliating manner, and creating fake accounts, or benign behavior, which may include displaying unusual kindness and generosity. While there are several explanations of this phenomenon, most of which deal with various aspects of deindividuation and anonymity, there is no explanation of individual differences in exhibiting disinhibited behavior online. Present study focuses on determining whether trait disinhibition and narcissism could lead to disinhibited behavior online, by influencing perception of online violent behavior. The results supported our model showing significant effects of trait disinhibition on perception of online violence, making online violent acts seem less violent, which could facilitate manifestation of disinhibited behavior online. No significant effects of narcissism as mediator were found, except a clear pattern of moderator effects of gender on perception of online violence, suggesting that different dispositional mechanisms may reflect the difference in processing of online violent behavior between men and women.

Full Text: PDF     DOI: 10.15640/jpbs.v9n2a10