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The Psychology of Everyday Sadism

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The Psychology of Everyday Sadism THE PSYCHOLOGY OF EVERYDAY SADISM by ERIN EVELYN BUCKELS B.A. (Hons.), University of Winnipeg, 2009 M.A., University of British Columbia, 2012 A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY in THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE AND POSTDOCTORAL STUDIES (Psychology) THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (Vancouver) July 2018 © Erin Evelyn Buckels, 2018 The following individuals certify that they have read, and recommend to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies for acceptance, the dissertation entitled: The Psychology of Everyday Sadism submitted by Erin E. Buckels in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology Examining Committee: Delroy Paulhus, Psychology Supervisor Mark Schaller, Psychology Supervisory Committee Member Jeremy Biesanz, Psychology Supervisory Committee Member Karl Aquino, Business Administration University Examiner Anita DeLongis, Psychology University Examiner ii Abstract Although psychological conceptions of sadism have traditionally viewed it as a clinical-forensic disorder, there is emerging scientific interest in the view that sadism extends to the normal range of personality. Sadistic personality is defined as an enduring tendency to enjoy cruelty toward others. To capture the full scope of this trait, I constructed and validated a self-report questionnaire—the Comprehensive Assessment of Sadistic Tendencies (CAST)—designed to assess three overlapping, but distinct facets of sadism, covering enjoyment of physical violence, verbal aggression, and violent media consumption. As part of the psychometric evaluation and validation process (Chapter 2), I administered the CAST to multiple samples of university students and community adults (total N = 5,553). Results from exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses supported the CAST’s three-factor structure. The instrument produced excellent internal consistency and test-retest reliability estimates. Overall CAST scores were positively associated with other malevolent traits (including aggression and the Dark Triad of personality: psychopathy, narcissism, and Machiavellianism), and negatively associated with prosocial traits such as empathy. Convergent validity was demonstrated by high correlations between CAST scores and those of alternative unidimensional sadism measures. Discriminant validity was evident in the CAST’s lack of association with theoretically unrelated constructs such as emotional stability. Subsequent research (Chapters 3-5) demonstrated the predictive and incremental validity of the CAST, including the unique contributions of the three subscales. In Chapter 3 (total N = 2,779), sadism was a strong positive predictor of online trolling behavior (which was, in turn, distinguishable from cyberbullying). In Chapter 4 (N = 412), sadism predicted a pattern of inaccurate and negative interpersonal perceptions, with effects emerging for both sadistic perceivers and sadistic targets. In Chapter 5 (total N = 540), sadism predicted iii tendencies to underestimate others’ suffering and minimize culpability for harm; both effects were statistically explained by positive affect. Taken together, the results support the construct validity of sadistic personality, and the inclusion of sadism in new “Dark Tetrad” of personality. iv Lay Summary Sadism refers to the enjoyment of cruelty. Historically, sadism was viewed as a sexual disorder exclusive to criminals, but there is accumulating evidence that sadistic tendencies can be observed in normal (i.e., non-criminal/non-clinical) samples. In this dissertation, I review the psychological research on sadism (Chapter 1). I then construct and evaluate a self-report questionnaire to assess sadistic personality: The Comprehensive Assessment of Sadistic Tendencies (CAST). The CAST permits the separation of three facets of sadism (Chapter 2). I present evidence that sadism predicts cruel Internet behaviors (online trolling; Chapter 3) and draws negative impressions in face-to-face interactions (Chapter 4). I show that sadism predicts abnormal judgments about harm, and the effects are due to sadistic pleasure (Chapter 5). Across all studies, I find consistent evidence that sadism predicts outcomes independently of overlap with other malevolent tendencies. Sadism is a personality trait that is meaningful, measurable, and worthy of further investigation. v Preface The research described in this dissertation received ethical approval from the University of British Columbia’s Behavioural Research Ethics Board (certificates H12-02453 and H06- 03996). Authorship Notes Chapter 1: I wrote this chapter in full, with minor edits from my advisor. Chapter 2: I wrote this chapter in full, with minor edits from my advisor. I created Tables 1-7 and Figures 1-2. Chapter 3: This chapter is based on research reported by Buckels, Trapnell, and Paulhus (2014) and Buckels, Trapnell, Andejelovic, and Paulhus (2018), in addition to unpublished results. Figure 3 and Table 8 are reproduced with permission from Buckels et al. (2014). Table 9 is modified from Buckels et al. (2018). Chapter 4: This chapter is based on research reported by Rogers, Le, Buckels, Kim, and Biesanz (2018). I shortened and edited the content for the purposes of this dissertation. Tables 12 and 13 are modified from tables reported in that manuscript. Chapter 5: This chapter is based on research reported by Buckels et al. (2018). Tables 14-16 and Figures 4-5 are reproduced with modifications from that manuscript. Chapter 6: I wrote this chapter in full, with minor edits from my advisor. vi Table of Contents Abstract .......................................................................................................................................... iii Lay Summary .................................................................................................................................. v Preface............................................................................................................................................ vi Table of Contents .......................................................................................................................... vii List of Tables .................................................................................................................................. x List of Figures ................................................................................................................................ xi Acknowledgments......................................................................................................................... xii CHAPTER 1: Introduction ............................................................................................................. 1 1.1. Background Theory and Research on Sadism ........................................................ 2 1.2. Subclinical Approaches to Sadistic Personality ...................................................... 9 1.3. The Current Research ........................................................................................... 15 CHAPTER 2: CAST Scale Development and Evaluation ............................................................ 18 2.1. Research Goals and Hypotheses ........................................................................... 19 2.2. Method and Results............................................................................................... 19 2.2.1. Item generation ............................................................................................. 19 2.2.2. Exploratory factor analysis (undergraduate sample) .................................... 20 2.2.3. Exploratory factor analysis (community sample) ........................................ 23 2.2.4. Confirmatory factor analysis ........................................................................ 25 2.2.5. Descriptive statistics ..................................................................................... 25 2.2.6. Inferential analyses ....................................................................................... 28 2.3. Discussion ............................................................................................................. 39 2.4. Additional Validity Evidence ............................................................................... 39 vii 2.5. Conclusion ............................................................................................................ 41 CHAPTER 3: Sadistic Personalities of Online Trolls .................................................................. 42 3.1. Trolls Just Want to Have Fun ............................................................................... 42 3.1.1. Research goals .............................................................................................. 43 3.1.2. Method ......................................................................................................... 43 3.1.3. Results .......................................................................................................... 46 3.1.4. Discussion .................................................................................................... 52 3.2. iTroll Scale Development and Follow-up Research on Trolling .......................... 53 3.2.1. Method ......................................................................................................... 54 3.2.2. Results .........................................................................................................
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