Psychology of Extremism

Arie W. Kruglanski is Distinguished University Professor of Psychology at the University of Maryland, USA. He has received the National Institute of Mental Health Research Scientist Award, the Donald Campbell Award for Outstanding Contributions to Social Psychology, the University of Maryland Regents Award for Scholarship and Creativity, and the Distinguished Scientific Contribution Award from the Society for Experimental Social Psychology. Kruglanski has published over 400 articles, chapters, and books on motivated social cognition; served on NAS panels on the social and behavioral aspects of terrorism; and co-founded the National Center of Excellence for the Study of Terrorism and the Response to Terrorism. He was the PI on a MINERVA grant from the Office of Naval Research on the determinants of radicalization and is presently the PI on a MINERVA grant on Syrian refugees’ potential for radicalization. Catalina Kopetz is Associate Professor of Psychology at Wayne State University, USA. Her research focuses on the mechanisms that underlie multiple goal pursuit and management of goal conflict and their implications for risk-taking. She has published in prestigious journals spanning social and clinical psychology, prevention sciences, psychopharmacology, and behavioral and brain sciences, as well as journals appealing to a broader audience, such as Perspectives in Psychological Science, Current Directions in Psychological Science, and Psychological Review. Her research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health (including NIDA, NCI, and NIAAA).Ewa Szumowska, is a researcher at the Social Psychology Unit in the Institute of Psychology at Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Poland, and a member of the Center for Social Cognitive Studies Krakow, Association for Psychological Science, and the European Association of Social Psychology. She is an author and co-author of scientific publications in journals, such as Psychological Review, Psychological Inquiry, Perspectives on Psychological Science, Cognition, and Personality and Individual Differences. She studies motivation, information processing, multiple goal pursuit, and extremism.

• The Psychology of ExtremismArie W. Kruglanski, Ewa Szumowska, and Catalina KopetzExtremism as a Motivational ConstructConsequences of Motivational ImbalanceThe Present Volume: Motivational Imbalance Across Domains and Levels of Analysis Part 1: Motivational Imbalance at Different Levels of Analysis Part 2: Motivational Imbalance Across Domains of Human EndeavorPart 1: Motivational Imbalance at Different Levels of Analysis 1. Incentive Salience in Irrational Miswanting and Extreme MotivationH. M. Baumgartner, Erin E. Naffziger, David Nguyen, and Kent C. Berridge IntroductionReward Utilities and 'Wanting'Attribution of Incentive Salience 'Irrational Miswanting' and 'Dangerous Desire'Conclusion and Implications in Extreme Aggression 2. Attitudinal ExtremismJoseph J. Siev, Richard E. Petty, and Pablo BriñolDeveloping a Model of Attitudinal ExtremismCandidates for Inclusion in a Model of Attitudinal ExtremismProperties of Attitudes That Increase Attributions of ExtremismProcesses that Produce Polarized, Confident, and Unusual AttitudesProperties of Attitudes that Predict Extreme BehaviorThreat as a Moderator of Compensation Effects Conclusions3. On Extreme Behavior and Outcomes: The Role of Harmonious and Obsessive PassionRobert J. Vallerand and Virginie PaquetteA Dualistic Model of PassionPassion and Extreme BehaviorConclusions4. The Extreme GroupJohn M. Levine and Arie W. KruglanskiThe Present Chapter Quest for SignificanceNarrativesNetworksConclusion5. Masters of Both: Balancing the Extremes of Innovation Through Tight-Loose AmbidexterityPiotr Prokopowicz, Virginia K. Choi, and Michele J. GelfandExploration and Exploitation: Understanding the Extremes of InnovationCultural Tightness-LoosenessExploring Looseness, Exploiting TightnessThe Goldilocks Principle of InnovationDiscussion Funding6. The Evolution of ExtremisWilliam von Hippel and Nadia Fox How Might Extremism Have Evolved?What Function Might Extremism Serve?Is Extremism Unique to Humans?How Does Morality Attenuate and Exacerbate Extremism?Implications and ConclusionsPart 2: Motivational Imbalance Across Domains of Human Endeavor7. The Psychology of Extreme SportsEric Brymer and Pierre BouchatIntroductionTraditional Perspectives on the Psychology of Extreme Sports Beyond the Risk-Taking NarrativePositive Psychology Perspectives 8. The Psychology of GreeKatalin Takacs HaynesIntroduction to Greed NarrativesWhat Is Greed and Why Is It Extreme?History of GreedGreed in the Social SciencesMultilevel Model of Greed as ExtremismMitigating the Problem9. Moral, Extreme, and Positive: What Are the Key Issues for the Study of the Morally ExceptionalWilliam Fleeson, Christian Miller, R. Michael Furr, Angela Knobel, and Eranda JayawickremeThe Promise of Studying the Morally ExceptionalDo Morally Exceptional People Exist?Theoretical, Philosophical, and Theological Accounts of the Morally ExceptionalEmpirical Findings: Why Are Some People Extremely Moral? What Is Not Known Three Difficulties for the Study of the Morally Exceptional and Strategies for Addressing ThemDifficulty 1: What Counts as 'Moral' and What Counts as 'Morally Good'?Difficulty 2: What Counts as Exceptional?Difficulty 3: What Will Be Added to the Study of Morality by Studying the Morally Exceptional in Particular? ConclusionAcknowledgments10. The Social Psychology of Violent ExtremismErica Molinario, Katarzyna Jasko, David Webber, and Arie W. KruglanskiIntroduction Perceived Efficacy of ViolenceFeeling Noticed and AgenticIngroup IdentificationCulturally Approved Violence Violence as a Clear Response Relative Deprivation and InequalityThe 3N Framework: Need, Narrative, and NetworksConclusion11. Motivational Imbalance in Jihadi Online RecruitmentGabriel WeimannIntroductionOnline RecruitmentThe Notion of Motivational Imbalance'Narrowcasting'Using Motivational Imbalance in Jihadi campaignsConclusions