Dedicated to the Cause: Identity Development and Violent Extremism

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Abstract

Abstract. The threat of terrorism and rise of extremist movements across the globe pose some of the greatest challenges the world currently faces. While there have been serious conceptual and methodological problems within the psychological study of terrorism, the nascent field has advanced and the evidence, theories, and models have developed in their sophistication. The current article explores the role of social or collective identity in instigating, propagating, and diminishing engagement in violent extremism. Specifically examining how when a fundamental need to belong is challenged through threats and uncertainty this can lead to the people joining entitative groups which can fuse personal and social identities. These identities can be further amplified through ingroup and outgroup processes leading to involvement in violent extremism. The paper also explores how identity can mediate the stress of this extremist lifestyle and sustain engagement in violence. In order to illustrate these processes the article draws on interviews with Northern Irish paramilitaries. Finally, the paper explores the role of identity in moderating violent extremism, and provides suggestions of approaches to promote desistence from violent extremism.

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Most cited references 99

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An integrative social identity model of collective action (SIMCA) is developed that incorporates 3 socio-psychological perspectives on collective action. Three meta-analyses synthesized a total of 182 effects of perceived injustice, efficacy, and identity on collective action (corresponding to these socio-psychological perspectives). Results showed that, in isolation, all 3 predictors had medium-sized (and causal) effects. Moreover, results showed the importance of social identity in predicting collective action by supporting SIMCA's key predictions that (a) affective injustice and politicized identity produced stronger effects than those of non-affective injustice and non-politicized identity; (b) identity predicted collective action against both incidental and structural disadvantages, whereas injustice and efficacy predicted collective action against incidental disadvantages better than against structural disadvantages; (c) all 3 predictors had unique medium-sized effects on collective action when controlling for between-predictor covariance; and (d) identity bridged the injustice and efficacy explanations of collective action. Results also showed more support for SIMCA than for alternative models reflecting previous attempts at theoretical integration. The authors discuss key implications for theory, practice, future research, and further integration of social and psychological perspectives on collective action. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2008 APA

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From Social to Political Identity: A Critical Examination of Social Identity Theory

Leonie Huddy (2001)

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When group membership gets personal: a theory of identity fusion.

William Swann, Jolanda Jetten, Angel A Gomez … (2012)

Identity fusion is a relatively unexplored form of alignment with groups that entails a visceral feeling of oneness with the group. This feeling is associated with unusually porous, highly permeable borders between the personal and social self. These porous borders encourage people to channel their personal agency into group behavior, raising the possibility that the personal and social self will combine synergistically to motivate pro-group behavior. Furthermore, the strong personal as well as social identities possessed by highly fused persons cause them to recognize other group members not merely as members of the group but also as unique individuals, prompting the development of strong relational as well as collective ties within the group. In local fusion, people develop relational ties to members of relatively small groups (e.g., families or work teams) with whom they have personal relationships. In extended fusion, people project relational ties onto relatively large collectives composed of many individuals with whom they may have no personal relationships. The research literature indicates that measures of fusion are exceptionally strong predictors of extreme pro-group behavior. Moreover, fusion effects are amplified by augmenting individual agency, either directly (by increasing physiological arousal) or indirectly (by activating personal or social identities). The effects of fusion on pro-group actions are mediated by perceptions of arousal and invulnerability. Possible causes of identity fusion--ranging from relatively distal, evolutionary, and cultural influences to more proximal, contextual influences--are discussed. Finally, implications and future directions are considered. Copyright 2012 APA, all rights reserved.

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Author and article information

Contributors

Neil Ferguson:

ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0950-450X

Journal

Journal ID (publisher): epp

Title: European Psychologist

Publisher: Hogrefe Publishing

ISSN (Print): 1016-9040

ISSN (Electronic): 1878-531X

Publication date (Electronic): March 12, 2021

Publication date (Print): January 2021

Volume: 26

Issue: 1 , Special Issue: Psychology of Extremist Political Identification

Pages: 6-14

Affiliations

[ ¹ ]Department of Psychology, Liverpool Hope University, Liverpool, UK

[ ² ]Department of Behavioural and Social Sciences, University of Huddersfield, UK

Author notes

Neil Ferguson, Department of Psychology, Liverpool Hope University, Hope Park, Liverpool, Merseyside L16 9JD, United Kingdom, E-mail fergusn@ 123456hope.ac.uk

Author information

Neil Ferguson https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0950-450X

Article

ApaID ID: epp_26_1_6

DOI: 10.1027/1016-9040/a000414

SO-VID: 67018842-eec5-4f82-b4cb-f7b240ef676c

History

Date received : June 24, 2019

Date revision received : March 16, 2020

Date accepted : March 21, 2020

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