Psychological Meaning of Avatars. How do they Represent us?

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https://doi.org/10.54937/ssf.2025.24.3.63-73

Autor/ Author: Michal Čerešník

In: Studia Scientifica Facultatis Paedagogicae Universitas Catholica Ružomberok

ISSN: 1336-2232

Ročník/ Volume: XXIV.

Číslo/ Issue: 3

Strany/ Page Range: 63-73

Rok vydania/ Publication Year: 2025

Jazyk/ Language: Slovak

Vydavateľ/ Publisher: VERBUM – vydavateľstvo Katolíckej univerzity v Ružomberku

Abstrakt/ Abstract: In this article, we present an overview of theories that explain how the relationship between an application/software user in an online environment and his/her avatar works. The dominant and oldest theory is the parasocial interaction approach, based on the rules of real dyadic social interaction. Within it, there are two basic approaches that differentiate the user and their avatar (divergent approach) or unify them (convergent approach). In addition to these approaches, the article focuses on the interpretation of specific processes, which are anthropomorphization, autostereotyping, perception and confirmation of the self, self-awareness, priming, deindividuation. All these processes contribute to the decision of the people to create their own avatar and personalize it according to their own preferences and psychological relationship to themselves.

Kľúčové slová/ Keywords: Avatar. Autostereotyping. Interaction. Anthropomorphization. Convergence. Divergence.

Citácia/ How to cite:

ČEREŠNÍK, Michal, 2025. Psychologický význam avatarov. Ako nás reprezentujú? Studia Scientifica Facultatis Paedagogicae Universitas Catholica Ružomberok. Online. Roč. XXIV., č. 3, s. 63-73. ISSN 1336-2232. Dostupné na: https://doi.org/10.54937/ssf.2025.24.3.63-73

Toto dielo je publikované pod/ This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.