Trolls May Have a Disordered Personality By NeantHumain in NeantHumain's Diary Sat May 15, 2004 at 07:33:02 PM EST Tags: (all tags)
	If you have read Kuro5hin for more than five minutes, you've read the handiwork of a troll. Trolls are the bane of the Internet, known for their behaviors designed to disrupt conversation and draw attention to themselves. Actually, trolls have much in common with the Axis II, Cluster B personality disorders of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.

ADVERTISEMENT Sponsor: rusty This space intentionally left blank ...because it's waiting for your ad. So why are you still reading this? Come on, get going. Read the story, and then get an ad. Alright stop it. I'm not going to say anything else. Now you're just being silly. STOP LOOKING AT ME! I'm done! comments (24) active | buy ad ADVERTISEMENT The Cluster B personality disorders of the DSM-IV include the antisocial, borderline, histrionic, and narcissistic personality disorders. While none of these are a perfect description of the typical troll's behavior, they do share features with the troll. First of all is the antisocial personality disorder, also known as psychopathy or sociopathy. Antisocial behavior includes some of the following elements: Failure to conform to social norms Deceitfulness, as indicated by repeated lying, use of aliases, or conning others for personal profit or pleasure Consistent irresponsibility Lack of remorse, as indicated by being indifferent to or rationalizing having hurt, mistreated, or stolen from another Narcissism is the ego unbound. The DSM-IV describes the narcissistic personality disorder as, "A pervasive pattern of grandiosity (in fantasy or behavior), need for admiration, and lack of empathy, beginning by early adulthood and present in a variety of contexts...." Some indicative behavior are these: Has a grandiose sense of self-importance (e.g., exaggerates achievements and talents, expects to be recognized as superior without commensurate achievements) Is preoccupied with fantasies of unlimited success, power, brilliance, beauty, or ideal love Has a sense of entitlement, i.e., unreasonable expectations of especially favorable treatment or automatic compliance with his or her expectations Is interpersonally exploitative, i.e., takes advantage of others to achieve his or her own ends Lacks empathy: is unwilling to recognize or identify with the feelings and needs of others Shows arrogant, haughty behaviors or attitudes Some elements of the histrionic personality disorder, a disordered personality exhibiting an excessive need for attention, also manifest themselves in trolls: Is uncomfortable in situations in which he or she is not the center of attention Interaction with others is often characterized by provocative behavior Has a style of speech that is excessively impressionistic and lacking in detail What the Cluster B personality disorders have in common is manipulative behavior, a lack of empathy, and self-centeredness. What separates trolls from typical people with Cluster B personality disorders is a form of social aversion or fear of identification that prevents them from acting out their self-centered behavior in less anonymous places. The result is that these needs are satisfied on the Internet. Here are my criteria for the Internet Troll Personality Disorder: The Internet Troll Personality Disorder is characterized by attention-seeking and disruptive behavior in anonymous, delocalized places of socializing. It is indicated by the following traits: A tendency to make provocative comments to invoke emotional responses in others A lack of connection to the community being trolled; i.e., will leave if desired response is not invoked ("Do not feed the trolls!") A dissatisfaction with one's life and a cynical attitude towards things in general A tendency to challenge the rules and authorities of a community A preference to exhibit these behaviors only in places where one's true identity is unknown Disclaimer: It takes a qualified professional to diagnose anyone with a personality disorder. Source: http://www.behavenet.com/capsules/disorders/dsm4TRclassification.htm

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Do you have ITPD? Yes, I'm a troll, and I love it! 30% No, I'm an upstanding K5er (and a liar). 70% Votes: 10 Results | Other Polls

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