The prankster personality type in men.

[Ryan Rudolph]

From the many environments I've observed, there seems to always be a prankster personality trait, almost always in men. I started to wonder what is the motivation of the prankster type, what is it in for them? and is the prankster a benefit or burden to society?

From what I have observed, the prankster is almost always male, and the prankster usually targets other males to prank, rather than other females. However, the prankster enjoys having females to watch the show. There are important reasons for this - important evolutionary reasons. But, First of all, the prankster feels like he is in control of his environment, and he gains pleasure from being in control, trying to act out a plan, and he gains pleasure from believing that he has one up on everyone, he is temporarily the winner, and the others are the losers, until the end when he reveals the truth of the situation, and everyone has a laugh. Therefore, others often view the prankster more clever, intelligent and unpredictable than themselves, and it is for this reason that they enjoy his company, but they fear him at the same time. This gives the prankster is reproductive advantage over other males because he can capitalize on the females that he wants because he can easily intimidate other males.

The prankster can be motivated for reasons other than reproduction, simply for the enjoyment of being the winner, but this behavior easily transferred over to competitive behaviors for females. One might suggest that the more clever refined prankster could have evolved to compete with the more physical alpha males that use athletic achievement and stories of physical heroism to charm women.

Nevertheless, the prankster is an interesting personality trait, and there hasn't been too many documented case studies on the prankster. I would be curious if the prankster often exhibits less physically violent behavior because he uses his prank type humor as an outlet for power, control, and competitive winning. I would also be interested to observe what other traits he possesses that can be generalized to the prankster personality type as a population. Does he share other common traits of the alpha male?

[skipair]

I was and still am in some regard a natural prankster. I did it because I loved to have fun and make others have fun too. I loved the attention, the energy and excitement it gave me, and how I could have wonderful vibes about my own self-image. And I did it by crossing lines that no one else would cross. I never did it FOR other poeple for a particular purpose other than to amuse myself.

It was as if I had an energy that WOULD NOT be tied down by serious school formalities and etiquette, and whenever it was forced upon me the energy would lash out in uncontrolled ways. I'd throw scissors across rooms, take any opportunity to interup the teacher and make everyone laugh, and NEVER do homework. Of course, now I'm a droppout and live in a tent LOL. But I don't regret one second!!!!!!

Push the envolope,
Ride the edge,
Cross that line,
Cause soon you'll be dead. :D

[Ataraxia]

Prometheus played a prank on Zeus, so he sent Pandora, the first woman, as revenge. It's been all downhill since then....

[Elizabeth Isabelle]

I noticed that when any other female or I tried any prankster activity, it was not tolerated by the teachers. If one of the boys did exactly the same thing, the teachers found it amusing. Different behavior is expected and tolerated from boys vs girls. That may be why you have noticed it more in males; it is encouraged in some males, but discouraged in females.

[Carl G]

In junior high myself and a friend brought stewed prunes to school one day and threw them at the blackboard and even hit the wall clock, when the teacher's back was turned. Whap, another prune would stick. Kids would giggle. It was so funny. And I don't know how we got away with it. Another time, from the boys bathroom some of us used a car parked on the street outside the window for target practice with handfulls of wet toilet paper. For that we got detention with cleaning duties, me scrubbing baseboards in the halls.

[crusader]

I noticed that when any other female or I tried any prankster activity, it was not tolerated by the teachers. If one of the boys did exactly the same thing, the teachers found it amusing. Different behavior is expected and tolerated from boys vs girls. That may be why you have noticed it more in males; it is encouraged in some males, but discouraged in females.

interesting.

[crusader]

In junior high myself and a friend brought stewed prunes to school one day and threw them at the blackboard and even hit the wall clock, when the teacher's back was turned. Whap, another prune would stick. Kids would giggle. It was so funny. And I don't know how we got away with it. Another time, from the boys bathroom some of us used a car parked on the street outside the window for target practice with handfulls of wet toilet paper. For that we got detention with cleaning duties, me scrubbing baseboards in the halls.

Ah great story, it reminds me of when me and my chums pranked for the sake of female attention.

In 10th grade, Mr. Gilson was a bit of a stick in the mud who looked like he could use a bit of excitement in his life. He'd been married to his wife for thirty years and told us that there is nothing more important in life than finding true love, but I could tell he was delluding himself.

So I decided to wake him up; to bring back excitement and unpredictability to his stale lifestyle. I took pictures of myself naked in various suggestive positions and I brought them to school. My friend persuaded him to leave his office by asking for help on his homework assignment and I snuck in and placed the pictures in the desk drawer.

I poured tabasco in my eyes and ran to the school conselor's office. I told him I needed to talk in private and I remember how difficult it was to contain my laughter. I made up some story about how Mr. Gilson caught me smoking and promised me he wouldn't tell anyone and that I could get an A in his class if I "smoked" him. I told them he kept naked pictures of me in his desk and we went to his office together. I pretended I needed to go to the bathroom and I poured some more tabasco in my eyes. The councelor found the pictures and I could barely contain my laughter. I hid my laughter by coughing and he was escorted out by security. That's the last I heard from him, but I always laugh when I remember this story.

[Mohamed]

Crusader

Are you serious?
I don't think this is actually something to brag about...

[Robert]

In junior high myself and a friend brought stewed prunes to school one day and threw them at the blackboard and even hit the wall clock, when the teacher's back was turned. Whap, another prune would stick. Kids would giggle. It was so funny. And I don't know how we got away with it. Another time, from the boys bathroom some of us used a car parked on the street outside the window for target practice with handfulls of wet toilet paper. For that we got detention with cleaning duties, me scrubbing baseboards in the halls.

Ah great story, it reminds me of when me and my chums pranked for the sake of female attention.

In 10th grade, Mr. Gilson was a bit of a stick in the mud who looked like he could use a bit of excitement in his life. He'd been married to his wife for thirty years and told us that there is nothing more important in life than finding true love, but I could tell he was delluding himself.

So I decided to wake him up; to bring back excitement and unpredictability to his stale lifestyle. I took pictures of myself naked in various suggestive positions and I brought them to school. My friend persuaded him to leave his office by asking for help on his homework assignment and I snuck in and placed the pictures in the desk drawer.

I poured tabasco in my eyes and ran to the school conselor's office. I told him I needed to talk in private and I remember how difficult it was to contain my laughter. I made up some story about how Mr. Gilson caught me smoking and promised me he wouldn't tell anyone and that I could get an A in his class if I "smoked" him. I told them he kept naked pictures of me in his desk and we went to his office together. I pretended I needed to go to the bathroom and I poured some more tabasco in my eyes. The councelor found the pictures and I could barely contain my laughter. I hid my laughter by coughing and he was escorted out by security. That's the last I heard from him, but I always laugh when I remember this story.

I'll bet you're only laughing now since you're born-again, right? This young crusader was the 'old' crusader, not the new improved version... ?

[crusader]

Crusader

Are you serious?
I don't think this is actually something to brag about...

I'm not bragging, I'm just remembering the times when I was a little bit of a prankster, that's all. Let's not get all self-righteous.

I'll bet you're only laughing now since you're born-again, right? This young crusader was the 'old' crusader, not the new improved version... ?

I don't see what loving God has to do with pranking. Jeez, lighten up people.

[Mohamed]

OK the braging part was unfair.
Sorry for that.
But I wonder what are you laughing about when you remember the story.

[Sarge_Jr]

I'm not bragging, I'm just remembering the times when I was a little bit of a prankster, that's all. Let's not get all self-righteous.

It cheered me up, and I laughed about how clever the idea was. Pretty cruel though, Did you do anything to fix it afterwards?

I noticed that when any other female or I tried any prankster activity, it was not tolerated by the teachers. If one of the boys did exactly the same thing, the teachers found it amusing. Different behavior is expected and tolerated from boys vs girls. That may be why you have noticed it more in males; it is encouraged in some males, but discouraged in females.

Its just psych. Its well known that, sadly, Males are depicted as being funnier than Females. Its simply how it has come to be. That isn't to say females don't have a sense of humor or aren't funny, not one bit. Its a statement that, Males will get out of situations like that because its almost been accepted as the norm. I wouldn't say its sexism, because its more of a state of mind. Mainstream, almost.

In reply to the original post, I agree mostly with your analysis of the prankster type. The main point I've noticed (Because I'm part of the services) is that it boosts morale, Alot. Anything that cheers people up and makes them happy in the worse of time can't be a bad thing. The comical type, the prankster type and the joker, they all increase morale in a group or squadron. They benefit from making people happy, and people benefit from being happy.

But yes, to summerize; Good analysis Ryan. I like you're technique, quite alot.

[Ryan Rudolph]

Skipair,

I did it because I loved to have fun and make others have fun too. I loved the attention, the energy and excitement it gave me, and how I could have wonderful vibes about my own self-image. And I did it by crossing lines that no one else would cross. I never did it FOR other poeple for a particular purpose other than to amuse myself.

Are you sure that is your only motivation? because I know that whenever men are competiting agaisnt each other, it is for the affection of women. And a prankster is a competitor of the highest order. He is competiting agaisnt other males to be SEEN as more intelligent, more clever, and more entertaining. I wonder why the prankster needs all this attention.

[Tomas]

Skipair,

I did it because I loved to have fun and make others have fun too. I loved the attention, the energy and excitement it gave me, and how I could have wonderful vibes about my own self-image. And I did it by crossing lines that no one else would cross. I never did it FOR other people for a particular purpose other than to amuse myself.

Are you sure that is your only motivation? because I know that whenever men are competiting against each other, it is for the affection of women. And a prankster is a competitor of the highest order. He is competing against other males to be SEEN as more intelligent, more clever, and more entertaining. I wonder why the prankster needs all this attention.

If it's for the benefit of other males it would depend whether they are betas or alpha-types.
The trickster tends to be a cross between alpha and beta, and that's by intentional design.

With Carl's comments about stewed prunes hurled at blackboard, perhaps he can recall whether the teacher was a male or a single female. Different risk aversions play a part, too, in the grand scheme of the "middle-teen years".

Finally, crusader's prank was beyond stupid. That is one where he needs to make real penance. A real-life version of reverse child molestation. Destroying an honest man's credibility through falsehoods can sometimes lead to suicide.

Edited for a grammatical error.

[skipair]

Are you sure that is your only motivation? because I know that whenever men are competiting agaisnt each other, it is for the affection of women. And a prankster is a competitor of the highest order. He is competiting agaisnt other males to be SEEN as more intelligent, more clever, and more entertaining. I wonder why the prankster needs all this attention.

Yeah, trying to trace causes of motivation back, I think it makes sense to include women as fueling the fire to some (maybe large) degree, though I will say that wasn't what I experienced in the top of my consciousness. It was more the sense of locating pockets of group tension and moving in to bust it open. If I didn't do this I'd feel repressed and bored.

Stepping back from that, it was definitely for the sake of power/control = fun. I blossom creatively, intellectually, relaxedly, etc when I feel that I'm among equals, but at the same time it's understood that I own the bottom line...because I cross the line and take it. When I'm in a pack under someone else's lead I become uncontrollably introverted and unable to express myself = not fun.

The question is who is directing what the group perceives as reality. And I would rather be the creator and hypnotize those around me, than be the follower and be hypnotized.

[skipair]

Also, my best friends are those who also have bottom lines that gel with my best interest. In other words I respect them. I'm ok with being hypnotised by them from time to time, probably because they help me cross lines that I HAVEN'T been able to cross yet. I love you guys who will escalate with me to the places I dream of going, and I will be there for you too!

The goal always is to conquer FEAR!

Edit: Better hypnotically: ...to follow the POWER!

[Ryan Rudolph]

Another thing I was considering is that perhaps the prankster type is men can be also related to the horrific working conditions men find themselves, and so the comic relief acts as a sort of escapism from the hell they find themselves in as a means to survive. Perhaps the prankster that does it for escapism at work is much more unhappy than the rest, and he needs the release in order to make it through his shift.

So the possible explanations for the prankster type in men are reproductive competition, adaptation to horrible work conditions, and possibly just for egotistical enjoyment.

However, one might suggest that the prankster actually makes the work environment less safe because the fellow employees get to the point where they second guess reality too much because of how many times they are fooled by false alarms. One might suggest that the prankster at work decreases the level of safety, increases the chances of accidents, and causes a bit of negative karma in the people around him.

[Elizabeth Isabelle]

Another thing I was considering is that perhaps the prankster type is men can be also related to the horrific working conditions men find themselves, and so the comic relief acts as a sort of escapism from the hell they find themselves in as a means to survive. Perhaps the prankster that does it for escapism at work is much more unhappy than the rest, and he needs the release in order to make it through his shift.

So the possible explanations for the prankster type in men are reproductive competition, adaptation to horrible work conditions, and possibly just for egotistical enjoyment.

That makes me wonder about the chronic "prankster" antics from women which are of a slightly different kind than what I normally consider a prank. Women, but not men, are the ones who tend to wear the stuffed reindeer horns on a headband at Christmastime, the spiderweb stockings at Halloween, the Easter Bonnet in the old days - and some kind of bunny socks or something at Easter now, and beyond that the occasional highly decorative outerwear. Wouldn't that be the same sort of goal as the male prankster mentioned above?

Crusader, that's just the sort of reason people don't want to become teachers. Even if you confessed now, he'd never be allowed to teach again - just on the accusation.

[xerox]

redundant

[Atum]

I feel like Crusader made up the story as a joke. It's too obviously not just a "prank."

[Elizabeth Isabelle]

That is possible Atum, but your feeling that Crusader was just joking and that didn't really happen could also be the common psychological defense mechanism called "denial."

[crusader]

First of all, I can't believe how seriously everyone is taking this. It was a PRANK. That's another word for "joke".

I've never hurt anyone in my pranks and people are stronger than they look. I did it for fun; do you guys know what that is? Fun? It's when you do something to entertain yourself.

xerox, your psycho-analysis says more about you than it does about me.

[xerox]

redundant

[Ryan Rudolph]

Crusader,

if what you are saying is correct, what you did was actually a criminal offense, and you should have been charged with destroying his reputation as a teacher with lies. There is a clear boundary between prank and criminal activity, you may want to think about that. Did the teacher lose his job? or did you come forward? if you came forward, then nevermind, it is a prank, but if you never admitted to the lie, then it is a criminal action.

[crusader]

I didn't see the teacher again and he wasn't even arrested, but I'm sure he's fine.

It seems most people here have never done anything for the sake of entertainement. I picked on a teacher and most people believe it was in bad taste, but I thought it was funny.

Why can't you accept that people do things for entertainment without alterior motives? You say people prank for the attention of women? That's absolutely ridiculous. Do you masturbate for the attention of women? Or do you do it because you were tramatized as a child? Do you play video games for women? Do you play violent video games because you were attacked as a child?

What world do you guys live in? A prank is a prank is a prank is a prank.

And I fail to see how my acts were criminal. But hey, women love bad boys right?