Browsing by Author "Geraghty, Jonathan E."

As digital environments continue to become a central part of our social interaction, the ways individuals construct their virtual identities have become an increasingly important subject of research, offering unique insights into psychological functioning. This study explores how mental health symptoms of depression, anxiety, and other related symptoms influence how we create and use avatars. The sample included 154 undergraduate students at Princeton University completing the study in exchange for course credit. Participants completed demographic questions, avatar-specific questions, and validated psychological measures assessing depression (PHQ-9), anxiety (GAD-7), social anxiety (SIAS), self-esteem (RSES), body image (BISS), and fear of negative evaluation (BFNE). Results indicated that fear of negative evaluation was the most robust predictor of avatar idealization, suggesting that those with this fear may create idealized avatars as a way of online social protection. Depression showed modest associations with idealization, with elevated symptoms being significantly related to anxiety over avatar perception. Interestingly, socioeconomic status emerged as a significant predictor of both avatar idealization and consistency across platforms, with participants from lower-income households reporting higher levels of both of these behaviors. Additional exploratory analyses were also conducted, although results were largely insignificant. Combined, these findings highlight the psychological nature of avatar creation, and how the digital representations we create can serve as both a mirror of how we’re feeling internally and a tool for online social navigation.

Keywords: Avatar Design, Digital self-perception, Depression, Anxiety, Virtual Identity