Ken Kerr Bio
"The Ego and the Id" was a groundbreaking paper by the famous 20th Century Austrian psychiatrist, Sigmund Freud. Generally speaking, this theory sought to explain human behavior in terms of competing psychological forces within each of us: the Id, the Ego, and the Super Ego.
The Id is an important part of our personality, as it allows us to get our basic needs met. According to Freud, the Id is based on our "pleasure principle." The Id is selfish, hedonistic, and wants whatever feels good at the time. The Id seeks immediate gratification and has no concept of reality or the ramifications of the situation. In Freud's behavioral model, the Id doesn't think about or care about reality or the needs of others. It wants and seeks and acts only toward its own satisfaction.
Freud also explained two other psychological forces—the Ego and Super Ego—whose job it is to keep the Id, and each other, in balance. When a person's Id takes control, it manifests in sociopathic behavior: evil, ugly, viscous, hateful, hurtful, behavior that seeks to gratify itself with no regard—or even contempt—for those at whom the behavior is targeted.
Fortunately, most of us do think of consequences. Most of us do think about how others feel. Most of us feel remorse and shame, and regret. Most of us do not want to intentionally upset, or humiliate, or embarrass, or act aggressively toward one another.
Except on the Internet.
Anonymous posts on discussion boards, Craig's List, newspaper opinion sites, blogs, and news articles are often shockingly offensive. These anonymous posters even have a name: trolls. Their major weapon: flaming.
AOL's Timothy Campbell explains, "An "Internet troll" or "Forum Troll" or "Message Board Troll" is a person who posts outrageous message to bait people to answer. Forum Troll delights in sowing discord on the forums. A troll is someone who inspires flaming rhetoric, someone who is purposely provoking and pulling people into flaming discussion. Flaming discussions usually end with name calling and a flame war."
Free from the burden of being responsible for one's actions, of having a traceable identity, or of being held accountable for anything he writes, the troll is free to let his Id take control. What is disturbing is that, deep down, this is how many truly American's feel. This is what many Americans truly believe. What lies just beneath the surface of the psyche is a raging, violent, homophobic, anti-immigrant, misogynistic, bigoted, intolerant America. Don't believe me? Take a look at what your friend and neighbors have to say.
Kentucky Republican state representative, Tim Couch, proposed legislation that would make anonymous postings illegal. He was almost universally criticized for restricting First Amendment rights. While I am not sure First Amendment Rights are extended to anonymous trolls, Couch's legislation is misguided and unnecessary.
What is necessary is that we stand up against flaming trolls. We have open and honest discussions about important social issues of rights, and race. We need to stand in front of what we say, not hide behind an Internet screen name that can't be traced to anyone specific.
In Freudian psychology, when the Id is in control, the mind becomes schizophrenic, "a mental disorder characterized by abnormalities in the perception or expression of reality. It most commonly manifests as auditory hallucinations, paranoid or bizarre delusions, or disorganized speech and thinking with significant social or occupational dysfunction."
That sounds exactly like most of the flaming trolls I read.
DNFTT (Do Not Feed the Trolls)
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