Psychopathology of Cyberbullying and Internet Trolling

Abstract

Today, there is a disturbing growth in the number of cyberbullies and trolls because of global conditions and the increase of internet communication. Cyberbullying is a virtual form of real-life bullying, and trolling is a kind of online harassment. Therefore, bullying and trolling are not totally different concepts. Trolling is considered an online behavioral incompatibility that has been linked to specific personality types such as psychopathy, narcissism, Machiavellism, and sadism. Bullying is explained by pathological studies as a result of changes in brain chemistry and social brain regions during adolescence, spiritual transitions, and emotional imbalances. Although understanding trolls are essential for detecting them, due to unintentional behavior, anyone can become a troll ruining someone's day. For this reason, a "cyber victimization scale" has been added at the end of the article to help readers become more mindful of their online activity. To raise awareness, the notion of trolls was defined in this review, and the behavioral tactics and types of troll attacks were explained; although there are few studies and the psychological counterpart of trolling, literature on its mechanisms in the brain was reviewed.

Cite this article as: Aydın A,Arda B, Güneş B, Erbaş O.Psychopathology of Cyberbullying and Internet Trolling. JEB Med Sci 2021;2(3):380-391.

The authors declared no conflicts of interest with respect to the authorship and/or publication of this article.

The authors received no financial support for the research and/or authorship of this article.