Radicalisation:A Social Psychological Perspective (Part III)

173

Abstract

Radicalism and extremism have extremely serious consequences for human life and threaten the existence of humanity. The problem of deradicalisation is in the focus of our attention in this paper. The theory of uncertainty-identity describes the psychological mechanism by which the transformation of uncertainty into extremism occurs, by which a person experiencing a feeling of uncertainty, especially if this feeling is acute in its severity and is experienced for a long time, then the person tends not only to highly entitative, but to extremist groups. If this theory does not describe the mechanism of deradicalisation, then the conditions under which an individual, experiencing a feeling of uncertainty, still does not seek to become a member of groups with extremist and radical beliefs. This paper focuses on the analysis of these obstacles in the way towards extremism and radicalism. In addition, the potential of the social identity model of recovery formulated on the example of the social identity of addicts is discussed.

General Information

Keywords: deradicalisation, uncertainty, social identity, group norms, identity change

Journal rubric: Interdisciplinary Studies

Article type: scientific article

DOI: https://doi.org/10.17759/psylaw.2021110114

Funding. Bovina I. B. performed theoretical and analytical research on the problem of radicalization with the financial support of the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (RFBR) in the framework of the scientific project «Expansion (Competition for financial support for the preparation and publication of scientific review articles)» - № 19-113-50280.

For citation: Bovin B.G., Bovina I.B., Tikhonova A.D. Radicalisation:A Social Psychological Perspective (Part III) [Elektronnyi resurs]. Psikhologiya i pravo = Psychology and Law, 2021. Vol. 11, no. 1, pp. 181–194. DOI: 10.17759/psylaw.2021110114. (In Russ., аbstr. in Engl.)

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Information About the Authors

Boris G. Bovin, PhD in Psychology, Docent, Leading Researcher, Federal State Institution Research Institute of the Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia, Moscow, Russia, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9255-7372, e-mail: bovinbg@yandex.ru

Inna B. Bovina, Doctor of Psychology, Research Director, Associate Professor, Department of Clinical and Legal Psychology, Moscow State University of Psychology & Education, Moscow, Russia, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9497-6199, e-mail: innabovina@yandex.ru

Anastasia D. Tikhonova, MA in Psychology, graduate student, Faculty of Legal and Forensic Psychology, Moscow, Russia, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0030-2119, e-mail: GutnikAD@bez.mos.ru

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