Cyber Rules: What You Really Need to Know about the Internet

The Essential Guide for Clinicians, Educators, and Parents

Joanie Farley Gillispie and Jayne Gackenbach

Praise for Cyber Rules:

“A major strength of Cyber Rules is its easy readability . . . . The book is appropriate for both the computer-savvy reader and the newbie; easily guiding the reader on how to get the most out of the Internet.  I especially enjoyed the 'Hooking Up: Cyber Sex and Youth' chapter and heartily recommend it to every parent, teacher, and youth counselor.  The sex-positive tone is most welcome and a refreshing change from the usual alarmist perspectives that permeate the news.  The exercises throughout the book are quite engaging and truly excellent.”

—Charles Moser, PhD, MD, FACP, Professor and Chair, Department of Sexual Medicine, Institute for Advanced Study of Human Sexuality, San Francisco, California

“Emailing, blogging, text messaging: all have changed the world of communication, especially for young people.  Much as these have advanced relationships, new problems  have also arisen . . . . Authors Joanie Farley Gillispie and Jayne Gackenbach offer a valuable resource in their important new book. They highlight alerts about the dark side of the new cyber-communication, and give valuable advice about how to use the new tool for positive gain.”

—Judy Kuriansky, Ph.D., author, Generation Sex

 

“[A]n informed and practical guide to supporting daily use of the Internet by students, friends, and family members. Delving into the concerns we all have about how the Internet can both positively and negatively impact behavior, Cyber Rules offers a balanced and sensible analysis of cyber activity. Shedding light on some real hazards while celebrating the extraordinary value of the medium, Cyber Rules deserves a permanent place in  libraries—personal and institutional."

—Ginger Thomson, CEO of YOUTH NOISE

"[T]his user-friendly guide. . . will aid parents and teachers as they strive to make the best decisions for their children."
—Marin Magazine

Media interviews with author Joanie Farley Gillispie:

Hear Joanie Farley Gillispie's interview on the PsychJourney audio book club

Overview – Table of Contents

 

Internet socializes people in new ways, encouraging the development of innovative approaches to communication and online identity. As new technology and media emerge, cyber behaviors will continue to affect us, our relationships, our communities, and the world, both on- and offline.  Timeless issues such as depression, fear, loneliness, addiction, and sexuality so visible in our everyday lives are being transferred and transformed online. How do today’s therapists, parents, and educators negotiate the online and wireless world? We can't assume that traditional theories of human development, learning, and psychology can just be uploaded to cyber space and still be useful. This is especially true when it comes to children and adolescents. They personify what makes the Internet so exciting and confusing:  it is young, constantly changing, pushing boundaries, and rejecting the status quo.

Cyber Rules is a practical and comprehensive look at how the Internet is changing us. Making sense of the social, psychological, and global impact of the Internet and its associated technology and media can be overwhelming. Joanie Farley Gillispie and Jayne Gackenbach show you how to make sense of it for yourself and those you love. Filled with sound research, personal stories, creative exercises, and advice, Cyber Rules is one way to get it about the Internet.

Gillispie and Gackenbach begin the book by discussing how Internet communication affects identity. The Internet presents a broad range of new definitions that challenge traditional ways of thinking about how we see ourselves. Chat lines, discussion boards, and role-playing games present opportunities to try on alternate selves and craft a personality (or many different personas). What does all this mean in terms of identity formation and development, especially in regards to children? The Internet facilitates both connection and disconnection, increased attention and impulsivity. How children are actually using media is explained, along with effective discipline methods as it relates to children’s media use.

Next, the authors take the reader into the world of online relationships. The unique characteristics and challenges of finding love and establishing relationships online are presented. Cyber sex is considered as both a purely online phenomenon, and as an extension of offline sexuality, particularly in relation to adolescents and their developing sexuality. Video games, which facilitate a new kind of online relationships among gamers, are examined. The authors also explore health online, focusing on how to find the most accurate health information online and appropriate psychological treatment in cyberspace.

Cyber Rules is intended for use by clinicians, educators, and parents, as all three of these groups grapple with cyber issues. It is packed with practical advice, as well as quizzes and exercises that let the reader absorb and apply what has been learned. Readers are encouraged to solve the cyber problems presented in clinical vignettes by imagining themselves as the clinician, educator, or parent who must decide whether the cyber behavior under discussion is healthy, and why. Questionnaires assess knowledge and measure use patterns, while personal stories offer examples of real-life applications of the theoretical issues discussed. Interactive exercises require the reader to conceptualize ways to organize thinking about what’s happening online, while testing knowledge of and challenging assumptions about cyber space.

For those who want and need to understand the power of today’s Internet culture, Cyber Rules is essential reading.

About the Authors–

Joanie Farley Gillispie is a clinical psychologist in private practice. She lives and works in the San Francisco Bay Area of California.

Jayne Gackenbach is an instructor in the Psychology Department of Grant McEwan College and is the editor of Psychology and the Internet. She lives in Edmonton, Alberta.

ISBN 10: 0-393-70484-X
ISBN 13: 978-0-393-70484-X
2007 / 272 pages / Paperback