Understanding Trolls: Effectance Motivation, Social Competence, and Dark Personality

Internet trolling and cyberaggression are predicted by “dark” (sadistic, psychopathic) personality. We show low social competence and high effectance motivation also predict these behaviors. Moreover, dark personality traits mediate effectance’s relationships with noxious online behaviors, which appear motivated partly by desire to obtain satisfaction/reward from impacting (provoking or hurting) others.