The Psychology of Griefers

It is no secret that people playing games online can be jerks, and Vicious Sid of GamePro thinks he knows why. Termed griefers, these malcontents promote "a wide array of other anti-social, game-ruining actions," including the merciless slaughter of teammates, maniacal laughter and obscene or offensive messages. Yulan Liao, M.D., a psychiatrist at the Kaiser Permanente San Francisco Medical Center, suggested several possible explanations for such behavior. Noting that "the people who do it just for kicks, the anti-social people, probably make up a small portion of griefers," she pointed out that the study of group dynamics has revealed that select individuals will always seek out the same role in a group. Two roles in particular fit the description of a griefer--the defiant and the scapegoat. According to Liao, the defiant is conflicted, "not sure if his objective should align with the group's objective." This individual exemplifies the "reluctance within us to stay committed to the group," sometimes resulting in their defiant attitude against the team or other players. Liao describes the other problematic role, the scapegoat, as "a person everyone dislikes," which may be caused by unpopular, confusing or counterproductive actions. The individual with "characteristics that make him the most different from the rest of the group usually becomes the scapegoat," she added. "Once you are labeled the scapegoat, it is very hard to escape that role." It is also possible that the anti-social behavior of griefers could be indicative of a larger problem or disorder--such as antisocial personality disorder, impulse control problems, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, psychotic disorders, and substance abuse--but the article stresses that "a diagnosis of mental illness is made only when a disorder or problem causes significant impairment in functioning." Regardless of the cause, many will still opt to eject, ban, or mute such problematic players from game sessions. However, these options are not present in all online games, forcing alternative types of resolution. Fortunately, Liao says "it is possible to de-scapegoat the person by bringing them back into the group, which can change their destructive behavior."