Discordant knowing: A social cognitive structure underlying fanaticism

Area of Science:

• Social Psychology
• Epistemic Cognition
• Political Psychology

Background:

• Fanaticism, radicalization, and extremism are harmful phenomena requiring understanding for prevention.
• Existing research often overlooks the specific cognitive structures that foster such extreme beliefs and behaviors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the role of 'discordant knowing'—holding knowledge perceived as opposed by most others—in the development of fanaticism.
• To explore the epistemic and social-cognitive underpinnings of fanaticism and its potential prevention.

Main Methods:

• Nine studies (N = 3,277) employed multifaceted approaches, including experimental manipulations of discordant knowing.
• Studies examined threat-based mechanisms, intervention effectiveness, the role of opposition potency, and distinctions from extremism.
• Real-world contexts (2020 U.S. Presidential Election, abortion morality) and specific groups (antivaccine, religious fanatics) were analyzed.

Main Results:

• Experimentally induced discordant knowing heightened indicators of fanaticism, such as aggression and determined ignorance.
• The effect was mediated by threat perception, contingent on opposition strength, and distinct from extremism.
• Real-world fanatical individuals and groups exhibited significantly higher levels of discordant knowing compared to non-fanatical individuals.

Conclusions:

• Discordant knowing represents a core epistemic structure underlying fanaticism.
• Understanding fanaticism through an epistemic social cognitive lens offers promising avenues for intervention and prevention.
• Findings generalize across diverse topics and real-world fanatical groups.