Psychopathic traits and social anxiety in cyber-space: A context-dependent theoretical framework explaining online disinhibition

an article by Nafsika Antoniadou, Constantinos M.Kokkinos and Angelos Markos (Democritus University of Thrace, Greece) published in Computers in Human Behavior Volume 99 (October 2019)

Highlights

• Psychopathic traits and social anxiety were linked to online disinhibition.
• Negative correlations of empathy with online disinhibition were obtained.
• Psychopathic traits and social anxiety predicted online disinhibition.
• Possible cognitive and affective empathy moderating effects were studied.
• Cognitive empathy moderated impulsive-irresponsible and social anxietyassociations.

Abstract

Online disinhibition is a common phenomenon with negative implications among adolescents, but its correlates have been scarcely investigated from an integrative perspective.

This study aimed to examine the relationship of two socially maladaptive personal characteristics, namely psychopathic traits and social anxiety, with online disinhibition. Furthermore, the effect of empathy (affective and cognitive) was examined through moderation analysis.

The investigation was based on a context-dependent theoretical framework, according to which, the structural characteristics of cyberspace increase or decrease the expression of certain personal tendencies, thus differentiating an individual's behavior.

Overall, 1097 Greek Junior High School students from Northern Greece voluntarily completed an anonymous self-report questionnaire. After construct validity was tested, a two-step latent moderated structural equation modeling was conducted.

Results showed that online disinhibition correlated negatively with all variables except affective empathy. Cognitive empathy moderated only the effect of impulsive-irresponsible traits and social anxiety on online disinhibition.

Overall, findings show that students with maladaptive personality characteristics have high propensity for online disinhibition. These results can contribute significantly in understanding the phenomenon, as well as in the design of prevention programs aiming at developing the cognitive empathy of impulsive and socially anxious adolescents.

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How I Stopped Living a Sad, Frustrating, Disappointing Life

a post by Tpny Le for the Tiny Buddha blog


“The only person who can pull me down is myself, and I’m not going to let myself pull me down anymore.” ~C. JoyBell C.

There I was lying on my sister’s couch, which had doubled as my bed. I had hit my rock bottom. I felt depressed, anxious, and disappointed about my situation.

I couldn’t understand where it all went so wrong. How did I end up here?

I was thirty, single, and pretty much homeless. My life wasn’t supposed to end up here. By this age, I was supposed to be married with kids and have a successful career and a beautiful home. Well, that was the expectation anyway.

This is where I found myself at a crossroad. Either I continued to wallow in my self-pity and blame the world for my situation, or I made a commitment to myself and started the journey to change.

I started delving into my life—picking apart my upbringing, my platonic relationships, my failed romantic relationships, my lack of drive, and my social anxieties—and found that I was paralyzed by fear. The fear of failing, fear of being judged, and fear of not being accepted, which all culminated into a severe lack of self-belief and self-love.

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How I Uncovered the Root Cause of My Social Anxiety (and Finally Healed)

a post by Berni Sewell for the Tiny Buddha blog


“I want to dare to exist, and more than that, to live audaciously, in all my imperfect, lumpy, scarred glory, because the alternative is letting shame win.” ~Shauna Niequist

I kept my head down. Staring at my plate of food.

I could hear the laughter of the other people around the table – work colleagues, my bosses, a couple of high-profile clients. They were having a great time, enjoying the company and their expensive meals.

I felt light-headed and clammy as I battled to fake a calm and relaxed appearance. My finger nails left painful, crimson marks where I dug them into my palms to distract myself from the overwhelming anxiety.

The whole situation was a nightmare I wanted to escape. But I couldn’t have refused my boss’s invitation. Not again.

I had dreaded this evening since I learned about it. The prospect of social interactions with my superiors in a formal setting made me sick with worry. I tried to prepare myself, convince myself that the event was no threat, work up confidence beforehand.

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Scientists have discovered where anxiety comes from

an article by Philip Perry for the Big Think blog

Anxiety disorders are common and may be growing more so. 40 million US adults suffer from one in some form, about 18% of the population. Worldwide, 260 million live with an anxiety disorder, according to the WHO. Economist Seth Stephens-Davidowitz reported in 2016 that anxiety disorders have doubled in the US since 2008. There are a number of different kinds. There’s general anxiety disorder, panic disorder, social anxiety, and of course, a near countless number of phobias.

Although common, physicians aren’t sure what exactly brings on such a disorder. They usually hit a person in the prime of their life, and the treatments we have now are generally, only partially effective. Medical researchers hypothesize that it’s a combination of genes, environmental conditions, and changes inside the brain that lead to such a disorder.

Anxiety often runs in families and epigenetic markers for it have been identified. Epigenetics is the system by which genes are marked to become either expressed or suppressed. A recent study found that epigenetic changes associated with anxiety that occurred in holocaust victims, were passed down to their children.

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