Well, mousethief, I don't think I would call it a psychological theory, exactly. I don't know whether or not research has been done on the behavioral dynamic I was describing as it applies to the internet.

You could probably learn a lot about it if you read some of the literature on abuse, and about targeting and scapegoating within families.

This is a dynamic that I've seen some striking examples of in small town settings as well.

The literature is out there. You just have to do some digging around to find it.

Carol