Offline personality and avatar customisation. Discrepancy profiles and avatar identification in a sample of MMORPG players

Four discrepancy profiles (idealised, actualised, alter ego, negative hero) common to the personality factors extroversion, consciousness, agreeableness and emotional stability and stable within players emerged. They converged into four kind of offline personality-avatar relationship differently related with avatar identification that was higher when avatar was similar to self or an extension of self, and lower when avatar was other than self, or antithesis of self. The practical implication of these finding are discussed.