posted January 14, 2006 03:12 PM         

The basic psychological features of online environments shape how people and groups behave in those realms. But that's only half the story. Online behavior will always be determined by how those features interact with the characteristics of the people in those environments. A variety of systems might be useful in classifying those characteristics. We might focus on specific features of the user, such as the person's computer skills, goals for using the internet, demographic characteristics (age, social-economic status, occupation, etc). There also are several comprehensive theoretical systems in psychology that could help us examine how various personality types behave in cyberspace - for example, the Myers-Briggs system or Guilford's personality model.

In this book I've described cyberspace as a psychological extension of the individual's intrapsychic world. It is a psychological space that can stimulate the processes of projection, acting out, and transference - that can alter sensory experience and can even create a dream-like state of mind. A theory that specializes in understanding the intrapsychic world and thevarious dimensions of consciousness would be especially useful in understanding this "person" side of the person/environment interaction.

Psychoanalytic theory fits that bill very well. It contains a very rich, comprehensive model of personality types resulting from 100 years of research and clinical practice. Nancy McWilliams' book Psychoanalytic Diagnosis (Guilford Press, 1994) is an excellent resource that summarizesand integrates the various psychoanalytic concepts about major personality types. For each of these types, McWilliams explores the characteristic affects, temperment, developmental organization, defenses, adaptive processes, object relations, and transference/countertransference phenomena. The personality styles discussed are:

a. psychopathic (antisocial)

b. narcissistic

c. schizoid

d. paranoid

e. depressive and manic (impulsive)

f. masochistic (self-defeating)

g. obsessive and compulsive

h. hysterical (histrionic)

i. dissociative

One highly productive area of research would be to explore how these personality types behave online, how they subjectively experience and react to the various psychological features of cyberspace, how they shape the online experience for others, and the pathological as well as potentially salutary aspects of their online activities. Some interesting questions to explore might include the following:

a. Does online anonmity and freedom of access encourage antisocial personalities? Are they the hackers of cyberspace?

b. Do narcissistic people use the access to a numerous relationships as a means to gain an admiring audience.

c. Do people with dissociative personalities tend to isolate their cyberspace life from their f2f lives. Do they tend to experiment more with creating imaginative online identities?

d. Are schizoid people attracted to the reduced intimacy resulting from online anonymity. Are they lurkers?

e. Do manic people take advantage of asynchronous communication as a means to send measured responses to others?

Are compulsives generally drawn to computers & cyberspace for the control it gives them over their relationships and environment?

.. related Link with forum below ..

posted January 15, 2006 08:42 PM         

The results of people tested so far are:
Normal People: 25059 .. Socialised Psychopaths: 15256
Sample sze: 40315

.. given the 'web' nature of the test .. who knows if that be accurate ..
as in .. anyone could get on that page ( e.g. child .. web newbie ..etc ) ..
and set up ( or not ) a PS type answers sheet .. .. and press 'enter' ...

.. just a thought ...

posted January 16, 2006 02:55 PM         

*** BlueRoamer *** ... hi ...

i took to it .. as that dragon seems to be on a treadmill .. a state that taurus should not allow themselves to get into .. maybe a little alteration is needed .. i was going to re-arange it so plodding dragon would move across the frame .. as if were going somewhere .. however it would be akin to making the treadmill longer .. as it were ..

yeah that gif be off the net .. i've yet to aquire the patience .. or the right software .. to make my own in similar fashion .., ... although i now be tempted to put some ancient 'shareware' to use ..