Psychology of Hacking

Due to the diversity of motives for hacking we have to assume that without many empirical studies on hackers there will not be one single theory that explains hacker behaviour. In other pages of this wiki we have considered different types of hacker and some of their motives. In this page we will consider some psychological theories and try to apply them to hacker’s behaviour.

Psychoanalytic Theories
The Psychoanalytic Theories believe that we have an inner moral system (super-ego) that is developed through a satisfactory relationship the parental figure. In psychoanalysis criminal behaviour is the product of a inadequate or malfunctioning super-ego. As it stands we know that some hackers come from dysfunctional families, in some cases the hackers have no father figure therefore we might even postulate that some hackers have a weak super-ego. However the lack of super-ego would imply a lack of structure and impulsivity, while hacking is a planned activity where the victims are pre-chosen and the attacks deliberate. Consequently, in the psychological profiling of the hacker, psychoanalytic theory is only useful to understand the single case, but not able to explain the cyber-criminal behaviour

Theory of Moral Development
Kohlberg’s theory of moral development postulates that moral reasoning develops from the concrete at the lower stages to the more abstract at the higher levels. Criminal behaviour arises when there is a delay in the development of moral reasoning; therefore the person cannot control the urge to engage in the criminal activity and offends. One of Kohlberg's stages is hedonism and many of the convicted hackers seems more interested in fulfilling their own need than the consequences of their own acts. On the other hand, the Internet is full of hacker manifestos that put universal ethical issues as the basis of their activities. This might suggest that, at least in the case of “ethical hackers”, there is an abstract necessity of moral code that not only takes into consideration the social wellbeing and the individual rights ( What makes for a good society?) but emphasizes the democratic processes that give everyone a say, and defines the principles by which agreement will be most equal.

Operant Conditioning
Skinner’s theory of operant conditioning claims that behaviour is determined by the consequences that arise for the person involved. If the consequences are desirable the behaviour will be reinforced, if the consequences are undesirable, the behaviour will decrease in frequency. Behaviour therefore operates on the environment to produce results that are either reinforcing or punishing. Operant conditioning has been used to explain general delinquency as opposed to focusing on specific offences. Rogers (2001) postulates that Skinner’s Operant Conditioning Theory might explain hacker’s behaviour; however hackers that have been caught and punished still engage in hacking activities.

Social Learning Theory
The social learning theory is associated with the work of Bandura and his research on modelling and imitation. Social learning theory postulates that behaviour can be learned through observation. Once the behaviour is learned it may be reinforced or punished by the consequences iting takes place in three contexts: family, subculture, and social environment. Bandura’s social learning theory can be applied to hacker’s behaviour (Rogers, 2001). Hackers tend to associate with other hackers, electronically or by joining a hacking community and in doing so they learn their respective criminal behaviour. Hacker’s behaviour can be reinforced by interaction with the society for example through increased shared knowledge, gaining prestige within the community, or simply the reward of hacking a high security system and hackers are also modelling their behaviour to other hackers, they are linked to a subculture that reinforce the code to share information and mentor newbie’s.



