The Psychological Processes Underlying Political and Ideological Extremism
Abstract
This paper offers a discussion of the psychological processes described in the conceptual and empirical literature on political and ideological extremism and a related construct-- radicalization. Radicalization refers to the process in which individuals develop extremist beliefs/ideologies, emotions, and/or behaviors, all of which can justify otherizing and violence as well as promote sacrifice to defend ones self-identified tribe. In contrast, extremism refers to the resulting ideology or methodology applied to reach the radical objectives. The literature suggests that extreme attitudes and behavior stem from a complex interplay between personality and situations. Extremism reflects at least five psychological functions. Each of these functions reflects low emotional stability (whether dispositional or situationally-induced): (1) as a coping mechanism in response to psychological strain and ambiguity resulting from negative events; (2) as a form of ambiguity reduction during times of political/societal uncertainty; (3) as a form of self-verification in general; (4) as a form of self-verification and quest for significance following perceived negative events; and (5) as a politically-motivated means to fuse with outgroups. Each of these psychological functions represents the latent construct of coping mechanisms in response to emotional stability. Moreover, consistent with the notion that extremism reflects low openness to experience, extremists tend to manifest simplistic and rigid thinking patterns.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Feb 25, 2021
- Accession Number
- AD1123592
Entities
People
- L. A. Witt
- Nikola Fedorowicz
Organizations
- Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute