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Correlates of the Militant Extremist Mindset
Adrian Furnham1, George Horne2, Simmy Grover3
1BI Norwegian Business School, Oslo, Norway.
Frontiers in Psychology
|September 28, 2020
Summary
This study explored factors linked to the Militant Extremist Mindset (MEM) in young adults. Personality disorders and religiousness were key predictors across different MEM dimensions.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Social Psychology
- Belief Systems
Background:
- Understanding the psychological underpinnings of extremist beliefs is crucial for developing effective counter-strategies.
- The Militant Extremist Mindset (MEM) is a complex phenomenon influenced by personality, beliefs, and self-perception.
- Previous research has not comprehensively examined the interplay of personality traits, personal beliefs, and self-evaluation in relation to MEM.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the correlates of bright- and dark-side personality, religious and political beliefs, and self-evaluation with beliefs in the Militant Extremist Mindset (MEM).
- To identify specific predictors for the three dimensions of MEM: Proviolence, Vile World, and Divine Power.
- To determine the proportion of variance in MEM dimensions explained by demographic, personality, and belief factors.
Main Methods:
- A sample of 506 young adults completed self-report measures.
- Measures included questionnaires for the Big Five traits, Self-Monitoring, Self-Evaluation, Personality Disorders, and a three-dimensional MEM questionnaire.
- Demographic data on religiousness and political liberalism were also collected.
Main Results:
- The three MEM dimensions (Proviolence, Vile World, Divine Power) showed varying correlates, with no single consistent trend.
- Personality disorder scores were positive predictors for all three MEM dimensions.
- The Vile World mindset was predicted by religiousness, liberalism, personality disorder scores, and negative self-monitoring.
- Religiousness significantly contributed to all subscales, particularly predicting the Divine Power mindset.
- Proviolence was predicted by most personality measures and sex.
- Demographic, personality, and belief factors accounted for 14% (Vile World) to 54% (Divine Power) of the variance in MEM.
Conclusions:
- Beliefs in the Militant Extremist Mindset are associated with a combination of personality traits (especially personality disorders), personal beliefs (religiousness and political views), and self-perception.
- Religiousness and personality disorders emerge as significant, cross-cutting predictors of different facets of the MEM.
- The findings highlight the multifaceted nature of extremist mindset formation, emphasizing the need for tailored interventions addressing both personality and belief systems.
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