The Dark Tetrad, online moral disengagement, and online aggression perpetration among adults

Online aggression is a form of antisocial online behavior that has been widely studied among adolescents, but adults of all ages are involved as well. The goal of the present study is to broaden the understanding of potential risk factors of online aggression perpetration. Associations between socially aversive personality traits and online aggression are examined. In contrast to previous research and to account for ICT affordances, the present study argues for and tests the mediating role of online moral disengagement, and not traditional moral disengagement, in the relationships between traits and perpetration. To this aim, a cross-sectional dataset, balanced in terms of age, was collected among 2,000 adults aged 19–79. A path model revealed indirect associations for two traits, psychopathy and sadism, with online aggression perpetration via online moral disengagement, while controlling for online aggression victimization. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.