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Militant extremist mind-set: Proviolence, Vile World, and Divine Power
Lazar Stankov1, Gerard Saucier2, Goran Knežević3
1Center for Research in Pedagogy and Practice.
Psychological Assessment
|March 17, 2010
Summary
This study developed a scale to measure the militant extremist mindset, identifying three factors: Proviolence, Vile World, and Divine Power. Findings suggest Proviolence and Vile World are distinct psychological constructs, with higher endorsement in Asian countries.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Sociology
- Political Science
Background:
- Terrorism is a complex phenomenon with multifaceted psychological underpinnings.
- Existing psychological constructs do not fully capture the militant extremist mindset.
- A need exists for a validated scale to measure extremist attitudes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate a scale for measuring the militant extremist mindset.
- To identify distinct psychological factors associated with extremism.
- To explore cross-cultural differences in extremist attitudes.
Main Methods:
- A pilot study selected 56 statements from diverse sources related to terrorism.
- A large-scale survey (N=2,424) across 9 countries administered these statements alongside measures of personality, social attitudes, values, and cynicism.
- Exploratory factor analysis was employed to identify underlying factors of the extremist mindset.
Main Results:
- Three factors emerged: Proviolence, Vile World, and Divine Power.
- Divine Power correlated with traditional religiosity, while Proviolence and Vile World represented novel constructs.
- The Proviolence scale showed a skewed distribution, indicating general disapproval of such attitudes.
- Cross-cultural analysis revealed stronger endorsement of Vile World and Divine Power in Malaysia, and higher Proviolence scores in China, Korea, and Malaysia compared to other regions.
Conclusions:
- The developed scale effectively measures distinct dimensions of the militant extremist mindset.
- Proviolence and Vile World represent unique psychological constructs not fully explained by existing theories.
- Cultural factors significantly influence the endorsement of extremist attitudes, particularly in Asian countries.
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