Psychological signature for extremist thinking

Radicalization

Why are some people prone to radicalization? (Image: Stadtratte / iStock)

Whether religious fanaticism, strong nationalism, left or right-wing extremism: According to a study, people who are attracted to strong ideologies have certain psychological characteristics that can be used to predict a possible extremist tendency. In cognition tests, they showed slower perception processing and a weaker working memory. Personality questionnaires also showed increased impulsiveness and sensationalism. According to the researchers, such tests could contribute to more targeted prevention programs in the future.

Extremist ideologies typically paint a clear picture of good and bad and present their followers with seemingly simple solutions and strategies for action. Many representatives of a strong ideology are ready to defend it with violence if necessary. Prevention programs against radicalization have often relied primarily on demographic data such as age, race and gender. However, they can only predict to a very limited extent which people are susceptible to extremist positions.

Cognition and personality as predictors

A team led by Leor Zmigrod from the University of Cambridge has now investigated the extent to which certain psychological characteristics suggest a tendency towards extremist thinking. To do this, the researchers had 334 test subjects complete various tests on their cognitive perception and personality. Among other things, it was about stacking colored panes according to certain specifications, memorizing words or making quick decisions. The personality tests tested, among other things, determination, mindfulness, emotional control and financial and social risk tolerance.

At a certain time apart from these tests, the researchers also asked the participants about their attitudes to certain religious and political issues, including traditional family image, gun ownership, patriotism and prayer, but also their willingness to use violence against those who think differently. Using statistical methods, they investigated the connections between these ideological attitudes and the previously ascertained psychological characteristics. “I’m interested in the role that hidden cognitive functions play in shaping ideological thinking,” says Zmigrod. “Many people will know people around them who have radicalized themselves or who are increasingly holding extreme political views, be it on the left or on the right. We wanted to know why certain people are more susceptible. “

Difficulty with complex thought processes

The evaluations showed: “Extreme attitudes towards a certain group, including the advocacy of violence against people outside this group, were associated with poor working memory, slower perceptual strategies and tendencies towards impulsiveness and sensationalism,” the authors report. “This reflects overlapping with the psychological profiles of conservatism and dogmatism.” According to the results, conservatism was associated with increased purposefulness and impulsiveness. Dogmatism was associated, among other things, with solving decision-making tasks particularly carefully and slowly, and with a reduced willingness to take social risks.

“Subtle difficulties with complex mental processing can unconsciously drive people toward extreme doctrines that offer clearer, more defined explanations of the world, making them prone to toxic forms of dogmatic and authoritarian ideologies,” says Zmigrod. With her research, she would like to contribute to better identifying people susceptible to radicalization across the entire political and religious spectrum and to offering more targeted prevention programs.

More targeted prevention

As the researchers explain, only very limited predictions about the ideological perception of people can be made using demographic data. A statistical model, on the other hand, which also includes cognitive and personality traits, is four to fifteen times more powerful, depending on the ideology. For conservative positions, for example, the predictive power increased from 7.5 percent to 32.5 percent if the results of cognition and personality tests were taken into account in addition to the demographic data; religiosity was reduced with a probability of 23.4 percent instead of 2.9 Predict percent.

“There seem to be hidden similarities in the minds of those most likely to take extreme measures to defend their ideological doctrines. Understanding this could help us to support those who are prone to extremism and promote social understanding across ideological boundaries, ”says the researcher.

Source: Leor Zmigrod (University of Cambridge) et al., Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, doi: 10.1098 / rstb.2020.0424

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