THE PROCESS OF RADICALIZATION IN DEFENSE OF THE OCCIDENTAL CULTURE AGAINST THE ARAB CULTURE Roberto M. Lobato, Humberto Trujillo y Miguel Moya
[email protected] The processes of radicalization, following the model of the two pyramids, starts with a grievance that leads the person to scale through different phases (inert, activist, radical and terrorist) in defense of his own group. According to this model, variables that represent attitudes toward actions as violent disinhibition and intention of activism will be predictors of the intention of radicalization, understand as the intention of commit illegal and violent actions in defense of the own group. Then, the perceived oppression could trigger a process that leads to commit illegal actions in defense of the ingroup. And this process would be strengthened by variables like the disinhibition to violence or the intention of activism, as far as people perceive that other group is the oppressor.
HYPHOTESIS
METHODOLOGY
Ø H1: The perceived oppression will be predicted by the strength of identification with the own culture and by the differences with the outgroup.
Sample: 140 participants (75 women, Mage = 24.52, SD = 7.94) with Spanish nationality. Instruments: Ø Identity: Western, Arab and outgroup differentiation (difference between the identification with the Western culture and with the Arab culture). Ø Violent Disinhibition (α = .524). Ø Perceived Oppression (α = .925). Ø Intention of Activism y Radicalism: it has two factors: intention of activism (α = .844) and intention of radicalism (α = .803).
Ø H2: Perceived oppression will predict the intention of activism and radicalism. Ø H3: Violent disinhibition will mediate the relation between the oppression and the intention of radicalism while also intention of activism will moderate this relation but negatively.
As a first step, we carried Pearson correlations and a multiple regression with the Intention of Radicalism as criterion.
Multiple regression with Intention of Radicalism as criterion
Pearson correlations 1
2
3
4
5
1. Western identity 2. Outgroup differentiation -.437** 3. Perceived Oppression .335** -.238** 4. Violent Disinhibition -.087 -.003 .198* 5. Intention of Activism .011 .047 .022 -.228** 6. Intention of Radicalism -.026 .040 .162 .180* .445**
M 3.04 -.31 1.95 1.43 2.55 1.68
SD 1.76 1.17 .83 .47 .99 .84
Western identity Outgroup differentiation Perceived Oppression Violent Disinhibition Intention of Activism
* p < .05, ** p < .01, *** p < .001
𝛽 -.031 .032 .119 .259 .495
t -.350 .384 1.433 3.209 6.341
p .727 .702 .154 .002 .000
R2 = .248, F(5,129) = 9.815, p < .001
Pathway toward radicalization After that, using structural equation modelling (SEM), we further investigated the relations between the variables. We present the model with the best fit (𝜒2(6, 133) = 6.988, p = .322, CFI = .988, NFI = .970, RMSEA = .035, SRMR = .053).
.226***
Western identity
Outgroup differentiation .121**
.147*
.117*
Violent Disinhibition
.451**
-.424*
Perceived Oppression .141
.106
Intention of Activism
Intention of Radicalism .375***
Figure shows the regression coefficients 𝛽. * p < .05, ** p < .01, *** p < .001
CONCLUSIONS After analyses were carried out, it was verified that the hypotheses were fulfilled partially. It was found that the cultural identity and the outgroup differentiation were predictors of the perceived oppression (H1); the perceived oppression was not a predictor of the intention of activism and radicalism(H2); but there was a indirect effect through violent disinhibition and a negative indirect effect through intention of activism (H3). On the whole, we have that people who perceived that their cultural group (Western culture) is oppressed by an outgroup (Arab culture) will be more prone to use violence and to participate in radical actions when they have violent disinhibition. As well, people with high tendency to use violence are less likely to engage in activism. Those who engage in activism are les likely to use radical actions. To summarize, the perceived oppression is a factor that could indirectly increase the intention of radicalism in different ways when a gap between the own culture and the other culture is perceive. This work is part of a research project funded by the Centro Mixto de la Universidad de Granada-MADOC (Ref. 18/16 CEMIX UGR-MADOC) McCauley, C., & Moskalenko, S. (2008). Mechanisms of political radicalization: Pathways toward terrorism. Terrorism and Political Violence, 20, 415-433. Moskalenko, S., & McCauley, C. (2009). Measuring political mobilization: The distinction between activism and radicalism. Terrorism and Political Violence, 21, 239-260. Moyano, M., & Trujillo, H. (2014). Intention of activism and radicalism among Muslim and Christian youth in a marginal neighbourhood in a Spanish city / Intención de activismo y radicalismo de jóvenes musulmanes y cristianos residentes en un barrio marginal de una ciudad española. International Journal of Social Psychology / Revista de Psicología Social, 29, 90-120. Victoroff, J., Adelman, J. R., & Matthews, M. (2012). Psychological factors associated with support for suicide bombing in the Muslim diaspora. Political Psychology, 33(6), 791-809.
