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Psychology
How Psychopathology in Physical Space Is Replicated in Cyberspace
Thoughts about deviance online—and in the real world.
Posted September 9, 2021 Reviewed by Jessica Schrader
Key points
- How we behave in cyberspace is often at odds with how we behave in physical space.
- The current mental health diagnostic manual does not address how cyberspace fuels and maintains psychopathology.
- Evolution adapts a species to its habitat, but if the habitat is new like cyberspace, new definitions of psychology must emerge to codify it.
The existence of the internet presents new problems in human affairs, especially about how, where, and in what form psychopathology can exist. It seems that after about 30 years of online access, psychology in physical space (or "space") is slowly being replicated in cyberspace. Here, I will explore nine of these overlaps.
Why we do what we do
There are two schools of thought as to why we do what we do. The first school of thought is that identity is internal—a product of self; a dimension of mind-body dualism. The second school of thought is that identity is external—a product of place and situational determinants. Who we are (identity), therefore, is dependent on where we are. Cyberspace added a new "where." This unique place is screen life labeled as "cyberspace" on desktops and mobile devices.
Access to cyberspace has plusses and minuses used for good and evil
For good, access to screens and high technology is curative. For example, the Veteran’s Administration (VA) uses virtual reality goggles to desensitize a soldier with PTSD to the memories of war, linking space, cyberspace, and self by using interactive technology in a homeostatic feedback loop. I do the same with my clients. In behavior therapy, this technique is "in-vivo exposure rehearsal desensitization."
There are multiple evolving examples for evils, including those listed below, which are just the tip of the iceberg. The existence of cyberspace allows for new versions of foul play, and this foul play may be psychopathological, immoral, and often illegal.
Examples of how deviance in space is translated in cyberspace
Most deviance online is nuanced and not precisely equal to its physical version.
- Voyeurism in space could translate as the keylogger virus (every keystroke copied) in cyberspace.
- Faulty neurology (higher cortical functioning) in space could translate as the Trojan horse (insertion of malware) in cyberspace "messing" with the operating system.
- The short con (grifting) in space could translate as phishing and spoofing (deceptive emails) in cyberspace.
- Extortion in space could translate as ransomware ("pay or remain locked out") in cyberspace.
- Axis II personality clients in space could loosely translate as sending malware (devious source code) in cyberspace.
- Fetish in space could translate as holographic and physical VR dolls in cyberspace.
- Impression management in space could translate as scrubbing a reputation in cyberspace.
- Dissociation in space could translate as catfishing (a fictional online persona to fool or deceive) in cyberspace.
- Deep Fake (your face replaced by computer generated face) is forgery and impersonation.
- Teenagers' low self-esteem and depression, and eating disorders could translate and be fueled by Instagram, TicTok's false ideals of beauty.
New but undocumented forms of mental disorders due to cyberspace?
Many new psychopathologies are hard to translate between planes of existence. There is also no professional consensus on what constitutes new psychopathology in cyberspace. For example, video game addiction may be treated as an addiction but could differ in quality and intensity since it is often normalized, commercialized, and legal.
There is no "mental disorder" cyberspace manual. A question is whether there are new forms of mental disorders because of cyberspace.
“Personality” is a general predisposition to act a certain way across plans of experience: internal and external. The question is does personality change in cyberspace, which is anonymous and dehumanizing?
The research is ongoing. It seems behavior is more disinhibited and sloppy in cyberspace than in space, especially face-to-face versus typing. Zoom and FaceTime are in-between. Once a person seems genuine (they exist on the screen and no longer anonymous), socialized codes of conduct kick in.
The social network comparison effect
Do you behave the same online as offline? Are you affected by what you see online on social platforms? Do you, for example, resent the perfect lives of friends as presented on Facebook? This is the comparison effect. Today we have access to the personal lives of more people, and often we believe we come up short, negatively affecting our mental health.
Immersive VR will change daily life
Screen life is 2D. VR goggles simulate 3D. Once we achieve presence (realism), 4D life may never be the same. 4D is immersive based on environmentalism. Once we get to the level of the holodeck, all bets are off on how people behave then safely transfer choices from one world to another world, like the need for a decompression chamber after surfacing from the ocean depths.
Connecting physical space and cyberspace
We will require an interface or a psychological decompression chamber (a halfway house) to slowly re-learn how to act normally in physical space. One day soon, there could be an HBO Westworld where characters check into a hotel and do what they want with sentient robots. How do you return to the "real world" after being a criminal for a week?
Ecological determinism
To understand why behavior online is often different than behavior offline, we look to the concept of ecological determinism: Behavior is a function of the place. We don’t shout in church, “Go! Go!” But we can shout these words during a football game. By definition, most people understand what form of behavior is appropriate and where.
The future of humanity and civilization
Humanity could be in for a terrible future once cyberspace totally dominates everyday life. Once immersive virtual reality is commercially available and there is “presence" (the experience seems natural), all kinds of new psychopathologies may emerge that otherwise would have not. Psychology, morality, and law may not be prepared for the dire consequences, considering we are already slaves to mobile devices.
The Dark Triad emerges in cyberspace
Cyberspace has become the new “creative,” but is often a deviant abstract expressionistic outlet for cruelty. For the psychopath, cyberspace may be the Promised Land. Cyberspace is a place where abnormal psychology can thrive absent physical feedback. Cyberspace fuels deviance, especially for those predisposed to existing in the “Dark Triad” of narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy.
Our behavior online is a mirror to our soul
We seem to be ill-prepared for deviance online, a place where we increasingly live. In psychotherapy, a fundamental question to include should be, "Is your behavior offline the same as your behavior online?"
