The differential effect of psychopathy on active and bystander trolling behaviors: the role of dark tetrad traits and lower agreeableness.

Publisher: Nature Publishing Group Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 101563288 Publication Model: Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 2045-2322 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 20452322 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Sci Rep Subsets: MEDLINE

Original Publication: London : Nature Publishing Group, copyright 2011-

Antisocial Personality Disorder*/psychology ; Personality*/physiology; Humans ; Male ; Female ; Adult ; Young Adult ; Machiavellianism ; Adolescent ; Narcissism ; Students/psychology

This study aimed to develop the Global Assessment of Active Trolling and Passive Bystanderism (GAATPB) scale and investigate the influence of personality traits on trolling behaviors. Focusing on the Dark Tetrad (DT) traits and agreeableness, the present study examined their associations and predictive utility on active trolling and passive bystanderism. Participants were recruited from social networking sites (SNSs), and eligibility criteria included active SNS usage and engagement in online interactions. A total of 797 healthy adult students participated in the study, with data from 300 used for the initial exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and the remaining 497 (M age  = 22.25 years, SD = 3.37) for the subsequent analyses. Results indicated a significant correlation between DT traits and agreeableness across both active trolling and passive bystanderism, revealing a shared personality profile. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses showed that narcissism, Machiavellianism, and trait sadism were predictors of active trolling, with psychopathy being the strongest predictor. However, psychopathy did not emerge as a predictor for passive bystanderism. The study also highlighted that DT traits mediated the relationship between lower agreeableness and overall trolling behavior, suggesting that trolling manifests from lower agreeableness through the instigation of callous-unemotional, manipulative, and self-centered traits inherent in DT.
(© 2024. The Author(s).)

Psychol Assess. 2011 Jun;23(2):523-31. (PMID: 21319907)
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 May 26;18(11):. (PMID: 34073523)
J Pers Soc Psychol. 2003 May;84(5):932-43. (PMID: 12757139)
Psychol Assess. 2010 Jun;22(2):420-32. (PMID: 20528068)
Emotion. 2011 Dec;11(6):1445-9. (PMID: 22142213)
J Pers Soc Psychol. 1986 Dec;51(6):1173-82. (PMID: 3806354)
Assessment. 2011 Sep;18(3):335-9. (PMID: 21665883)
J Pers Soc Psychol. 2007 Oct;93(4):583-99. (PMID: 17892333)
Front Psychol. 2018 May 30;9:799. (PMID: 29899715)
J Behav Addict. 2018 Dec 1;7(4):993-1003. (PMID: 30427212)
Perspect Psychol Sci. 2017 Mar;12(2):183-204. (PMID: 28346115)
Multivariate Behav Res. 1990 Apr 1;25(2):163-72. (PMID: 26794478)
Psychol Sci. 2013 Nov 1;24(11):2201-9. (PMID: 24022650)
Heliyon. 2019 Oct 11;5(10):e02609. (PMID: 31667422)
Restor Dent Endod. 2013 Feb;38(1):52-4. (PMID: 23495371)
Cyberpsychol Behav Soc Netw. 2020 Jul;23(7):441-446. (PMID: 32364769)
Pers Soc Psychol Bull. 2008 Oct;34(10):1303-14. (PMID: 18599659)
Aggress Behav. 2010 Jan-Feb;36(1):21-7. (PMID: 19918915)
Front Psychiatry. 2019 Mar 12;10:95. (PMID: 30930800)
Cyberpsychol Behav Soc Netw. 2014 May;17(5):281-6. (PMID: 24690025)
Clin Psychol Rev. 2008 Dec;28(8):1326-42. (PMID: 18708274)
J Adolesc. 2015 Aug;43:96-9. (PMID: 26070168)
Multivariate Behav Res. 2004 Jan 1;39(1):99. (PMID: 20157642)

Date Created: 20240430 Date Completed: 20240430 Latest Revision: 20240515

20250114

PMC11061140

10.1038/s41598-024-60203-6

38688968