Sadism and Cyber Aggression: Moral Identity as a Possible Moderator

ABSTRACT

The present study aimed to establish the construct validity of short sadistic impulse scale (SSIS) in the Indian context. The relationship between sadism and cyber aggression was explored outside the western world directly as well as through the moderation of moral self-identity. Finally, the study investigated the relationship between moral identity and cyber aggression. The sample of study was comprised of 308 adolescents aged 16–19 years. Participants completed the SSIC, cyber aggression questionnaire, and moral identity scale to measure sadism, cyber aggression, and moral identity, respectively. Pearson correlation and moderation regression analysis were used to investigate the relationships among them. Results show that SSIS is a valid tool in the Indian context, sadism has a direct relationship with cyber aggression and moral identity internalization moderates the relationship between sadism and cyber aggression. Moral identity was found to be positively correlated with cyber aggression.

KEYWORDS:

• Sadism
• cyber-aggression
• moral identity internalization
• moral identity symbolization

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Korsi Dorene Kharshiing, Urfat Anjum Mir and Kavita Assi for their help in copy-editing of the manuscript.

Disclosure of Interest

There is no conflict of interest with any of the authors.

Ethical Standards and Informed Consent

All procedures followed were in accordance with the ethical standards of the responsible committee on human experimentation [institutional and national] and with the Helsinki Declaration of 1975, as revised in 2000. Informed consent was obtained from all patients for being included in the study.