Bélanger, JJ, Adam-Troian, J, Nisa, CF and Schumpe, BM (2022) Ideological passion and violent activism: The moderating role of the significance quest. British Journal of Psychology. ISSN 0007-1269

[thumbnail of Passion_LOS_extremism_july5_JT.docx] Text
Passion_LOS_extremism_july5_JT.docx - Accepted Version
Restricted to Repository staff only until 9 June 2023.
Available under License Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial.

Download (326kB)

Abstract

This research examines how the relationship between passion for an ideology and violent activism is magnified by the personal (vs. collective) loss of significance. In Study 1 (N = 238), the relationship between obsessive (but not harmonious) passion for the Republican Party and violent activism was moderated by personal (but not collective) loss of significance. Study 2 (N = 612) replicated these findings with an experimental manipulation of personal and collective loss of significance in a sample of Black Lives Matter supporters. In Study 3 (N = 416), we set out to attenuate the obsessive passion-violent activism relationship by experimentally manipulating personal and collective significance gain. Echoing the results of Studies 1 and 2, the manipulation of personal (but not collective) significance gain reduced the relationship between obsessive passion for the environmental cause and violent activism. Furthermore, Study 3 examined the psychological mechanism at play by incorporating a measure of goal-shielding - a factor of theoretical relevance to explain extreme behaviour. Personal significance gain reduced individuals' proclivity to inhibit goals unrelated to their ideological pursuit, which in turn reduced their support for violent activism. These findings reveal psychological factors relevant to detecting at-risk individuals and implementing cost-effective prevention programmes against ideological violence.

Item Type: Article
Additional Information: The final version of this article and all relevant information related to it, including copyrights, can be found on the publisher website.
Subjects: H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General)
H Social Sciences > HV Social pathology. Social and public welfare
H Social Sciences > HX Socialism. Communism. Anarchism
Divisions: Faculty of Natural Sciences > School of Psychology
Related URLs:
Depositing User: Symplectic
Date Deposited: 04 Aug 2022 08:15
Last Modified: 04 Aug 2022 08:15
URI: https://eprints.keele.ac.uk/id/eprint/11232

Actions (login required)

View Item
View Item