[LINK] Cognitive Dissonance [Was: Mind Chauvinism - a quote and a link]

[Jan Whitaker]

At 04:46 PM 29/05/2011, David Boxall wrote:

>To get this back on topic, how much of the evil done on the 'net
>(bullying, trolling) is abetted by Cognitive Dissonance? How much is
>just sociopathology?

(IANAPsychologist)

It's certainly egoism, narcissism, and a lack of empathy. I thought 
cognitive dissonance required the person doing it to have a moral 
stance to begin with. Trolls and bullies are weak people who hide 
behind the anonymity on-line. Do they feel at odds with a moral code 
where they could modify their behaviour and choose not to, because 
they get something out of the attacks? Or are they unaware (lack of 
empathy, moral conscience) of the effect and drunk on the false power?

I vote for sociopathology, not necessarily in the extreme that is 
usually displayed as on TV with serial killers etc., but as an entry 
point to worse behaviour. There's a reason for discipline and 
punishment in the early stages of aberrant behaviour. That's how most 
morals are established. Being 'bad' is testing to see what is 
acceptable behaviour. But unless there are brakes on that testing 
with the consequences of disapproval, the 'bad' is seen as 
acceptable. Add in peer pressure and the giggles along with the 
hidden-from-adults nature of social networks and there aren't any 
boundaries for those who desparately need them and most likely don't 
get them anywhere else, either.

There was a story on Jon Faine ABC this morning about a family whose 
son committed suicide as a result of escalating online abuse by 
another boy, with mixed messages from the other kids, some saying it 
would be fine, and some even passing along the remarks when the 
victim stayed off the net, so the kid couldn't escape it. He jumped 
off the Westgate. The family and a clever lawyer finally convinced 
the state to charge the bully in a breakthrough case. The bully pled 
guilty and received community service. We'll have to wait and see if 
that had any effect. The dead boy's parents now go around to schools 
with their story. Their main message: insist the kids put their 
parents as friends on their facebook pages. I'm not sure that's 
realistic, but at least it's a start.

Jan



Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
jwhit at janwhitaker.com
blog: http://janwhitaker.com/jansblog/
business: http://www.janwhitaker.com

Our truest response to the irrationality of the world is to paint or 
sing or write, for only in such response do we find truth.
~Madeline L'Engle, writer

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