Cyber Psychology

Contents: Preface. 1. Introduction. 2. Cyberspace. 3. Cyber Crime. 4. Cyber Bullying. 5. Cyber Stalking. 6. Cyber Terrorism. 7. Internet Addiction. 8. Treatment for Internet Addiction. 9. Applications of Cyber Psychology. Bibliography. Index.

The developing field of cyber psychology encompasses all psychological phenomena that are associated with or affected by emerging technology, Cyber comes from the word cybernetics, the study of the operation of control and communication, psychology is the study of the mind and behaviour. Cyber psychology is the study of the human mind and behavior in the context of human technology interaction. However, mainstream research studies seem to focus on the effect of the Internet and cyberspace on the psychology of individuals and groups. Some hot topics include, online identity, online relationships, personality types in cyber-space, transference to computers, addiction to computers and Internet, regressive behavior in cyberspace, online gender-switching, etc.

While statistical and  theoretical research in this field is based around internet usage, cyber psychology also includes the study of the psychological also includes the study of the psychological ramifications of cyborgs, artificial intelligence, and virtual reality amongst other things. Although some of these topics may appear to be the stuff of science fiction, they are quickly becoming science fact as evidenced by interdisciplinary approaches involving the fields of biology, engineering, and mathematics. The field of cyber-psychology remains open to refinement as well as new purposes including inquiry into the nature of current and future trends in mental illness associated with technological advances.