Empirical research has indicated that the feeling of disinhibition experienced by people in the virtual context, known as online disinhibition, increases the likelihood of cyberbullying behaviors.
Moreover, this phenomenon seems to be explained through moral disengagement, i.e., the activation of a series of cognitive processes through which people disengage from their moral responsibilities to justify violent behavior and avoid possible feelings of guilt. However, little is known about how online disinhibition and moral disengagement might influence the perpetration of cyberdating abuse.
From the Mind, Brain and Behavior Research Center of the University of Granada (UGR), a group of researchers from the Laboratory of Social & Gender Psychology and members of the Psychology of Social Problems Group, have carried out an investigation to analyze whether the feeling of online disinhibition is associated with greater activation of the mechanisms of moral disengagement and, consequently, with greater perpetration of direct cyberdating abuse perpetration towards the partner (e.g., sending sexually explicit photos of the partner without their consent through social networks), while examining the moderating role of participants' gender, their sexist attitudes, and their experiences of intimate partner cybervictimization.
The main results indicated that individuals with high online disinhibition showed higher levels of moral disengagement, which, in turn, led to more frequent perpetration of direct cyberaggression toward a partner.
In addition, participants' gender and their past experiences of cybervictimization in the partner, but not sexism, modulated this relationship. Specifically, men (vs. women) with high feelings of online disinhibition manifested a greater tendency to moral disengagement and, consequently, a higher frequency of direct cyberaggression against a partner.
Similarly, elevated levels of online disinhibition and moral disengagement led to more frequent perpetration of direct cyberaggression on partners only in people with frequent past experiences of cybervictimization in their relationships.
This research expands on previous literature by introducing online disinhibition and moral disengagement as factors that may contribute to perpetuating direct, intimate partner cyberaggression while deepening understanding of the circumstances that intensify its occurrence.
In addition, these results could encourage professionals working in the prevention and intervention of intimate partner cyberviolence to develop specific interventions that take into account the influence of these factors and are better adapted to the characteristics and dynamics of relationships.
Reference
Sánchez-Hernández, M. D., Herrera, M. C., & Expósito, F. (2024). Is online disinhibition related to cyberdating abuse perpetration by moral disengagement? The moderating role of gender, sexism, and cybervictimization. Sex Roles, 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-024-01480-3
Contact:
M. Dolores Sánchez-Hernández (@email)
M. Carmen Herrera (@email)
Francisca Expósito (@email)