Conquer Club

Mom used to wash your mouth out with soap when you said something mean; what happens when that nasty behavior happens online? Perhaps real therapy is needed.

Narcissists, psychopaths, sadists or Machiavellian? When it comes to online trolls, you can take your pick: Researchers say habitual electronic provocateurs have several of these serious personality issues.

One of the biggest studies yet into such behavior has found that Internet “trolls” — those who post deliberately provocative messages to a newsgroup or message board with the intention of causing maximum disruption and argument — may need some intense therapy.

Researchers said sadistic behavior was most commonly exhibited online, and that commenters’ negative traits got worse the longer the person spent online, Slate reported.

“Respondents completed personality inventories and a survey of their Internet commenting styles,” the team at the University of Manitoba said in their report.

Erin Buckels and two colleagues conducted the research via two tests, and determined “overall, strong positive associations emerged among online commenting frequency, trolling enjoyment, and troll identity, pointing to a common construct underlying the measures.”

Both studies revealed similar patterns of relations between trolling and the Dark Tetrad of personality: trolling correlated positively with sadism, psychopathy and Machiavellianism, using both enjoyment ratings and identity scores.

One asked survey participants what they “enjoyed doing most” when on online comment sites, offering five options: “debating issues that are important to you,” “chatting with others,” “making new friends,” “trolling others,” and “other.”

It found only 5.6 percent of survey respondents actually enjoyed trolling. “Both trolls and sadists feel sadistic glee at the distress of others,” the team wrote. “Sadists just want to have fun … and the Internet is their playground!”

Psychology Today explained Machiavelli was legendary for his duplicitous nature, and modern psychiatrists now use “Machiavellian” to describe people who are brilliantly and dangerously self-centered.
Based on this research, it’s safe to assume whether online or in person, these trolls could benefit from a few doses of humility, or a visit to the therapist.

2dimes wrote:Did you change the title because the real bad news is for the car crash victims I laugh at instead of stopping to help?

2dimes wrote:Could happen. Now the important question would be, "What will they write about the event on the Internet?"

thegreekdog wrote:

Dukasaur wrote:Truth is virtually impossible to suppress, and it can certainly survive the presence of a few wisecracks.

Genuine debate manages to shine through the noise without any difficulty, including the noise of alleged "derailments." The only debate capable of being submerged is that debate which was not genuine to begin with -- usually the sermons of pontificating demagogues whose ego is bruised so much by not having sole possession of the limelight that they cannot continue to preach.

As much as it pains me to give Dukasaur any credit, post of the year 2014.

Lootifer wrote:There are very few cases of narcissistic, psychopathic, or sadistic trolling on these forums. 99% of the trolling is agenda based.

There are a few exceptions but most of them have either been banned rather quickly or have modified their behaviour.

Gillipig wrote:

Lootifer wrote:There are very few cases of narcissistic, psychopathic, or sadistic trolling on these forums. 99% of the trolling is agenda based.

There are a few exceptions but most of them have either been banned rather quickly or have modified their behaviour.

Narcissistic trolling? Never heard of such a thing. I think you misinterpreted personality traits of the troll (which was what the story highlighted), with what type of way one can troll in (which is what you are talking about). I can name quite a lot of users I would consider narcissists, including myself for good measure. I'd go so far as to say most of us here show narcissistic tendencies. Who here really gives a damn about what happens to anyone else on this forum?

Serbia wrote:Has this discussion on trolls actually turned serious? So, the topic tailor made for derailers (correct?) wasn't derailed by the trolls? OMG

Bollocks.

Serbia wrote:STOP DERAILING YOUR OWN THREAD WITH PICTURES OF MR. CLEAN

Bollocks.

betiko wrote:

Serbia wrote:STOP DERAILING YOUR OWN THREAD WITH PICTURES OF MR. CLEAN

Bollocks.

Can it be john travolta acting as mister clean?

Gillipig wrote:

Lootifer wrote:There are very few cases of narcissistic, psychopathic, or sadistic trolling on these forums. 99% of the trolling is agenda based.

There are a few exceptions but most of them have either been banned rather quickly or have modified their behaviour.

Narcissistic trolling? Never heard of such a thing. I think you misinterpreted personality traits of the troll (which was what the story highlighted), with what type of way one can troll in (which is what you are talking about). I can name quite a lot of users I would consider narcissists, including myself for good measure. I'd go so far as to say most of us here show narcissistic tendencies. Who here really gives a damn about what happens to anyone else on this forum?

Serbia wrote:

betiko wrote:

Serbia wrote:STOP DERAILING YOUR OWN THREAD WITH PICTURES OF MR. CLEAN

Bollocks.

Can it be john travolta acting as mister clean?

I'll allow it.

Bollocks.