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Explaining radical group behavior: Developing emotion and efficacy routes to normative and nonnormative collective
Nicole Tausch1, Julia C Becker, Russell Spears
1School of Psychology, University of St Andrews, Scotland. nt20@st-andrews.ac.uk
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
|April 20, 2011
Summary
Emotions like anger drive normative collective action, while contempt and low efficacy predict extreme, nonnormative actions. Understanding these pathways is key to addressing intergroup conflict.
Area of Science:
- Social Psychology
- Collective Action Research
- Intergroup Relations
Background:
- Existing collective action models focus on normative actions, driven by anger and efficacy.
- The relationship between emotions, efficacy, and action may differ for extreme, nonnormative behaviors.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the distinct pathways of collective action for normative versus nonnormative actions.
- To propose and test the roles of contempt and low efficacy in predicting nonnormative actions.
Main Methods:
- Three survey studies were conducted with diverse participant groups (German students, Indian Muslims, British Muslims).
- Data analyzed examined the relationships between emotions (anger, contempt), efficacy, and both normative and nonnormative collective actions.
Main Results:
- Anger strongly predicted normative action but not nonnormative action.
- Contempt positively predicted nonnormative action, while negatively relating to normative action.
- Low efficacy was associated with nonnormative action and negatively with normative action.
Conclusions:
- The study differentiates pathways for normative and nonnormative collective action.
- Contempt and low efficacy are key predictors of extreme, nonnormative actions.
- Findings offer insights into understanding and managing extreme intergroup phenomena like terrorism.
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