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Extreme Psychology and Personal Safety
2025. Vol. 2, no. 4, 41–51
doi:10.17759/epps.2025020403
ISSN: 3034-3666 (online)

Psychological conditions for the manifestation of a tendency towards extremism in students

 
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Abstract

Context and relevance. The relevance of the study is determined by the increase in the number of extremist crimes committed. Active involvement of students in extremist activities raises serious concern. There is a need to study the psychological conditions of the manifestation of a tendency towards extremism in students in order to create a system of socio-psychological, legal and organizational measures for their timely and active prevention. Hypothesis. Psychological conditions of the manifestation of a tendency towards extremism are deviant behavior, bad habits and extreme hobbies in young men and women. Methods and materials. The following diagnostic methods were used: the “Tendency to Deviant Behavior” technique (E.V. Leus); the “Scale of Tendency to Extremism” technique (D.G. Davydov, K.D. Khlomov), questionnaire (D.V. Deulin); methods of mathematical statistics: Spearman and Mann-Whitney criteria. The study involved 28 university students, with an average age of 18. Results. It was found that delinquent and addictive situational behavior and bad habits are psychological prerequisites for the manifestation of a tendency toward extremism. Manifestations of “destructiveness and cynicism” and “normative nihilism” are significantly associated with delinquent and addictive situational behavior. Conventional coercion distinguishes students with bad habits. Conclusions. The study results expand our understanding of the manifestations of a tendency toward extremism in normotypical students. To prevent extremism, it is necessary to develop and implement preventive and psychocorrectional programs targeting situationally manifested forms of destructive behavior and bad habits in students.

General Information

Keywords: extremism, deviant behavior, bad habits, extreme hobbies, law enforcement activities

Journal rubric: Legal Psychology

Article type: scientific article

DOI: https://doi.org/10.17759/epps.2025020403

Acknowledgements. The author thanks D.V. Deulin for the idea, development of the questionnaire and assistance in collecting data for the study

Received 27.10.2025

Revised 11.11.2025

Accepted

Published

For citation: Litvinova, A.V. (2025). Psychological conditions for the manifestation of a tendency towards extremism in students. Extreme Psychology and Personal Safety, 2(4), 41–51. (In Russ.). https://doi.org/10.17759/epps.2025020403

© Litvinova A.V., 2025

License: CC BY-NC 4.0

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Information About the Authors

Anna V. Litvinova, Candidate of Science (Psychology), Associate Professor, Department of Scientific Foundations of Extreme Psychology, Faculty of Extreme Psychology, Moscow State University of Psychology and Education, Moscow, Russian Federation, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6783-3144, e-mail: annaviktorovna@mail.ru

Conflict of interest

The author declares no conflict of interest.

Ethics statement

The study was reviewed and approved by the Ethics Committee of the Academic Council of the Department of Extreme Psychology (Protocol No. 1, dated August 28, 2025).

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