Date of Award
Fall 12-2019
Degree Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
School
Psychology
Committee Chair
Eric Dahlen
Committee Chair School
Psychology
Committee Member 2
Melanie Leuty
Committee Member 2 School
Psychology
Committee Member 3
Ashley Batastini
Committee Member 3 School
Psychology
Committee Member 4
Richard Mohn
Committee Member 4 School
Psychology
Abstract
Prior research indicates that a number of dark personality traits (e.g., psychopathy and sadism) positively predict the perpetration of cyber aggression among emerging adults (e.g., Goodboy & Martin, 2015; Craker & March, 2016; Nocera & Dahlen, 2018); however, few studies have utilized psychometrically sound measures of cyber aggression developed for use with this population. Additionally, some traits that are theoretically relevant to cyber aggression (Koban, Stein, Eckhardt, & Ohler, 2018; Slonje & Smith, 2008; Varjas, Talley, Meyers, Parris, & Cutts, 2010) and have been useful predictors of other forms of aggression have received insufficient attention in the cyber aggression literature (e.g., trait aggressiveness, boredom proneness). In addition, the possible role of moral disengagement (i.e., a way for people who behave in conflict with their moral values to avoid guilt or shame; Renati, Berrone, & Zanetti, 2012) as a potential mediator of the relationships of various personality traits to cyber aggression perpetration has not received sufficient attention. In the present study, we recruited 404 emerging adult (age 18-29) volunteers living in the United States through Amazon’s MTurk. Workers completed an online survey assessing their use of electronic communication, psychopathic and sadistic personality traits, trait aggressiveness, boredom proneness, moral disengagement, and cyber aggression perpetration. Structural equation modeling tested whether psychopathic traits, sadistic traits, trait aggressiveness, and boredom proneness predicted cyber aggression perpetration and moral disengagement partially mediated these relationships. Sadism, anger, and moral disengagement predicted cyber aggression, and moral disengagement partially mediated the relationships between sadism and cyber aggression perpetration.
Copyright
2019, Taylor Nocera
Recommended Citation
Nocera, Taylor, "Assessing the Effects of Psychopathy, Sadism, Aggression, and Boredom Proneness on Cyber Aggression Perpetration in Emerging Adults: Is Moral Disengagement to Blame?" (2019). Dissertations. 1712.
https://aquila.usm.edu/dissertations/1712