A Comparative Study of Personality Traits Between Dark Web and Surface Web Users

Abstract

The aim of the present study is to find out the difference between users and non-users of dark web on the variable of maladaptive personality traits. The maladaptive personality or pathological personality led the individual to get their interest without considering the differentiation in right or wrong i.e. moral or immoral (Noser et al., 2015). To explore the connection, comparative cross-sectional survey design applied examine the differences in maladaptive personality traits between dark web users and surface web users. A total of 168 participants including 57 Dark Web users (M= 23.52 years, SD = 7.42), and 111 surface web users (M = 22.38 years, SD = 4.80). Maladaptive Personality Traits were assessed using the DSM-5 Personality Inventory (PID-5). The result of the present study supports the hypothesis revealed that maladaptive personality showed significant difference between dark web users and surface web users, particularly in the areas of negative affect, antagonism, and detachment. Implications of the study have been proposed.