Doctor Red-Adare ,

The lack of face-to-face cues has a curious impact on how people present their identity in cyberspace. Communicating only with typed text, you have the option of being yourself, expressing only parts of your identity, assuming imaginative identities, or remaining completely anonymous - in some cases,
being almost invisible, as with the "lurker." In many environments, you can give yourself any name you wish. The multimedia worlds also offer the opportunity to express yourself through the visual costumes known as ""AVATARS" Anonymity has a disinheriting effect that cuts two ways.
 Sometimes people use it to act out some unpleasant need or emotion, often by abusing other people. Or it allows them to be honest and open about some personal issue that they could not discuss in a face-to-face encounter.
 

The theme, characteristics, or interpersonal impact of an
"AVATAR" may be closely associated with one of these specific types.

narcissistic - themes of power, status, perfection, grandiosity; draws for admiration and praise; feelings of being "special" and "privileged"

schizoid - themes of interpersonal detachment and indifference, perhaps combined with evidence of abstract or intellectual thinking; little evidence of warmth and tenderness; the "loner" themes

paranoid - distrust, isolation, hypervigilance, blaming or finding fault with others; cold, humorless, argumentative characteristics

depressive - gloom, darkness, loss, low self-esteeem

manic - energtic, grandiose, impulsive

masochistic - self-destructive, themes revolving around the "bad self" or "woe is me"

obsessive/compulsive - seriouis, formal; themes of control and perfection; shows evidence of a concern about details and rules

psychopathic - antisocial, violates rules; little evidence of shame or guilt; takes advantage of others; possible superficial friendliness or charm

histrionic - attention-seeking and seductive in flavor, dramatic, emotional, vain; themes involving dependency

schizotypal - themes of being aloof, indifferent; evidence of magical thinking or
superstitious beliefs; peculiar characteristics
Another simpler approach to categorizing "AVATARS would be to group them according
 to more general visual types. Here I'll outline several different categories of custom AVATARS.
 

Animal AVATARS
Animal AVATARS are some of the most popular . Some people even choose their pets. Because animals symbolize certain traits or attributes in myth as well as popular culture e.g., strength, loyalty, grace, independence, cunning, transcendence), the animal chosen for an "AVATAR" probably bears psychological significance to the person - perhaps representing
some real aspect of his or her identity, or some characteristic admired by the person. Thinking in the tradition of the Native American, we might even regard an animal "AVATAR" as being an individuals "totem" - i.e., a symbol of one's essential nature or potential.
Cartoon "AVATARS"
Cartoon "AVATARS" usually; foster a playful regression among users.
 While younger users (adolescents) may be more inclined to don cartoon costumes, older members frequently use them as well.
 The psychological significance of the cartoon character probably affects the choice made by the user. People select characters with whom they identify or admire. Some cartoon characters have very specific cultural significance and may even represent archetypal personality types (e.g., Bugs Bunny as the confident trickster; Aladdin's genie as the powerful but benevolent friend). Rather than relying on childhood cartoon figures, some adults wear cartoon avs of a more sophisticated style - some of these classified as "anime." The psychological tone of these avs tend to be more seductive, whimsical, or mysterious.
Celebrity "AVATARS"
Celebrity "AVATARS"tend to follow trends in popular culture. And like items in popular culture, they may quickly become epidemic and then disappear. There may be a variety of motives behind the use of these avs. People may use them to express personality traits or social issues that are associated with the celebrity's image (sensuality, intelligence, power, corruption, rebellion, etc.). The user may identify with, desire, or be poking fun at these attributes. They may hope to bolster their self-esteem and identity by establishing their connection to the celebrity. They may simply wish to display a knowledge of current events in pop culture. Celebrity avs also advertise one's specific interests in entertainment in order to find like-minded users: "Hey, I like Seinfeld! Anyone else out there like Seinfeld?"
Evil "AVATARS"
Everyone has a dark or "evil" side to his or her personality. The definition of "evil" varies from person to person, although usually it has something to do with malicious, aggressive fantasies and/or feelings of guilt. Note how many Halloween costumes fit this category. As a form of sublimation, evil costumes allow people to safely - and even creatively - express their dark side. While some "AVATAR" fans may wear an evil av as their facade for the evening (which may reflect their mood at the time), others may "flash" it as a momentary cue to others. Mess with wizards, for example, and they may flash their evil av as a warning that they're getting annoyed and may pin, gag, or kill you.  Some people may use evil or aggressive "AVATARS" as a way (consciously or unconsciously) to alienate or "put off" other people. This might indicate their anxiety about intimacy and being vulnerable.
Real Face "AVATARS"
Most users do not use pictures of themselves as their primary "AVATARS". People prefer the partial anonymity of expressing only limited aspects of their personality through imaginative props. Or they simply enjoy the creative fun of experimenting with new identities through their avs. In more rare cases, members find the use of real face avs to be an uncomfortable, dissociative experience. "I have a picture of myself in the prop file but I really don't like to use it any longer than it takes for me to show it to a new friend,"
When users do present pictures of their real faces, it may be a gesture of honesty and/or intimacy - a sign of friendship, or even romance. Showing one's real face av can be a very poignant experience. Several people have described to me encounters when an intimate conversation culminated in their companion showing a picture of themselves. "That moment will stay with me for a long time to come," one member stated, "The value I placed on that particular moment was, friendship, trust, a sense of oneness." This same member described how there seems to be a pattern when an entire group feels compelled to use their real faces - what he called "face nite." For that period of time, the intimacy and friendship level reaches a point where people wish to step out of their masks and out of their anonymity. They want be as "real" as possible.
Idiosyncratic "AVATARS"
These "AVATARS" become strongly associated with a specific member - almost as if it is that person's trademark. In some cases the "AVATAR" may be highly unusual or creative. Sometimes it is quite simple. Yet its association to the particular user is so strong that others experience it uniquely as that person. While trading;"AVATARS" is a common practice, the owner of an idiosyncratic av rarely gives it away. It would be like giving one's identity to someone else to use. Conscientious members also don't "steal"
(i.e., screen capture) an idiosyncratic av and use it as their own. They respect its integrity.
If someone does steal and attempts to wear an idio av, they must be willing to put up with criticism by the friends of the owner.
Power "AVATARS"
Power "AVATARS" are symbols of... well... power. Many, if not all, people have conscious
 or unconscious fantasies of omnipotence. Who wouldn't want strength and invulnerability? These types of avs seem to be most common among male adolescent users. In some cases the power theme is benign. Sometimes not, which may be a variation of the "evil" "AVATAR". Because competition invariably accompanies displays of power, members seem to vie with each other in creating the most "awesome" power av. This competition is probably more common among the adolescent users. Members who persistantly display power avs may be troubled by underlying feelings of helplessness and insecurity.
Seductive "AVATARS"
Female seductive "AVATARS" tend to be more common than male although these female
 avs sometimes are "manned" by male users (see "Male Gender-Switching in Cyberspace") .
In fact, the general impression among members is that males are more likely to prop up as females, especially seductive females, than women dressing up as males.
People usually wear seductive avs to draw attention to themselves. This works very well.
Male users, especially guests, quickly flock to a sexy female form.
The owner may be interested in harmless flirting, or (less frequently) be advertising his or her availability for cybersex. I heard one story about someone's office friend who, when frustrated on the job, says "I need a  break" He then signs into yahoo chat dressed as a sexy female and lures guys in. Being sexy not only gets you attention.
It also gives you power and control over others.
The competition in creating and displaying images is especially visible for seductive "AVATARS It's interesting how some women are getting into more and more
elaborate sexy props. Almost as if it's a contest," noted one member. "But then, some of the guys too are into 'comparing' props!" For men, the competition usually involves power props, rather than seductive ones. As one member stated, "the stag with the biggest rack thing, ey?"
A seductive, sexy, or simply "attractive" "AVATAR" can have a powerful impact on other members. One member described how his prop of a cartoon animal didn't seem to be getting him much attention from females. Most of them wouldn't talk to him. Curious about whether he could alter this situation, he searched the net and found a picture of Brad Pitt which he turned into a prop. The result?... Lots of attention. If he happened to be wearing his cartoon prop and found that he was being ignored by a woman, he would move to another room, switch to Brad Pitt, and then return. Or he would switch to Pitt right in front of her. Nine times out of ten, he said, the woman would strike up a conversation with him even if he hadn't said a word. He even established a relationship with someone who eventually wanted to meet him face-to-face. "The pic got her attention," he concluded, "but in the end it was me that won her over." The curious thing about this phenomenon is that members KNOW that people are not their "AVATARs. Just because a prop is pretty to look at doesn't mean that the user is. Nevertheless, that seductive av has tremendous drawing power. Perhaps some people enjoy the illusion of interacting with (and hopefully winning over) an attractive person. Perhaps, as many critics of contemporary culture claim, some people can't resist the temptation of superficial appearances, despite knowing better. Or perhaps some people are just curious, "Who *IS* that person using that sexy av?"
Other "AVATARs
Whenever we social scientists go about categorizing things, we always end up with a miscellaneous or "other" category. There is such a wide variety of "AVATARS" that it's impossible to neatly classify them all. The same is true of personality styles (which is the origin of the prop).