From Envy to Radicalization.

Area of Science:

• Social Psychology
• Political Psychology
• Behavioral Science

Background:

• Traditional models of radicalization emphasize grievances as the primary driver.
• Existing frameworks often overlook the proactive nature of radicalizing agents.
• A gap exists in understanding the emotional and cognitive mechanisms underlying radicalization.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a novel model of radicalization centered on the emotion of envy.
• To explore the functional structure of envy and its operative properties in radicalization.
• To reframe radicalization as a proactive, rather than reactive, process.

Main Methods:

• Theoretical modeling based on psychological principles of envy.
• Analysis of existing data on radicalization processes.
• Examination of the alignment between envy's properties and observed radicalization behaviors.

Main Results:

• Envy's properties—monitoring social differentials, identifying welfare costs, neutralizing competitors, diffusing responsibility, and rejoicing in misfortune—align with radicalization dynamics.
• Envy motivates competitor neutralization when perceived harm is not clearly attributable to others' wrongdoing.
• The 'process of typification' serves to diffuse responsibility by universalizing personal grievances.

Conclusions:

• Envy provides a more robust explanatory framework for proactive radicalization than grievance-based models.
• Understanding envy's role is crucial for developing effective counter-radicalization strategies.
• The proposed model offers new insights into the psychological underpinnings of radical group formation and action.