Yurchenko N.I. Review of the John Suler’s article «The Online Disinhibition Effect»

The overview of the article “The Online Disinhibition Effect” by John Suler, PhD, is presented. The author delves into the phenomenon of how differently people behave online and in person. The article examines six key factors contributing to this phenomenon: dissociative anonymity, invisibility, asynchronicity, solipsistic introjection, dissociative imagination, and minimization of status and authority. Dissociative anonymity reduces feelings of vulnerability and responsibility, facilitating disinhibited behavior. Invisibility removes inhibitions associated with appearance and nonverbal cues, allowing people to express themselves more freely. Asynchronicity helps you open up to people without immediate social consequences. Solipsistic introjection emphasizes the blurring of boundaries between self and others in virtual environments and its implications for disinhibited behavior. Dissociative imagination is seen as a psychological process underlying online fantasy and facilitates disinhibition. The minimization of status and authority leading to the democratization of online spaces gives people more freedom to express themselves. The author illustrates how these factors interact with each other and identifies the causes of disinhibition in the online space. It is noteworthy that the article emphasizes the role of personality traits in influencing the degree of this disinhibition. One of the strengths of Suler's research is that it moves away from viewing disinhibition as simply the revelation of one's “true self.” Instead, he proposes to conceptualize disinhibition as a shift within the self-structure. Overall, the article provides valuable insight into the complexities of online behavior and prompts new thinking about the nature of disinhibition in cyberspace.

Key words: disinhibition, dissociative anonymity, invisibility, asynchronicity, solipsistic introjection, dissociative imagination, minimization of status and authority, intrapsychic constellations

For citation: Yurchenko, N.I. (2024). Review of the John Suler’s article «The Online Disinhibition Effect». New Psychological Research, No. 1, 182–190. DOI: 10.51217/npsyresearch_2024_04_01_09

Acknowledgment

The article was prepared within a state task, project FNRE-2024-0016.