Abstract
The psychological mechanisms that lead terrorists to make costly sacrifices for their ideological convictions are of great theoretical and practical importance. We investigate two key components of this process: (1) the feeling of admiration toward ingroup members making costly self-sacrifices for their ideological group, and (2) identity fusion with religion. Data collected in 27 Spanish prisons reveal that jihadists’ admiration toward members of radical Islamist groups amplifies their willingness to engage in costly sacrifices for religion in prison. This effect is produced because admiration toward radical Islamist groups has a binding effect, increasing identity fusion with religion. Five additional experiments provide causal and behavioural evidence for this model. By showing that admiration for ingroup members increases identity fusion, which in turn makes individuals prone to engage in costly pro-group behaviours, we provide insights into the emotional machineries of radicalization and open new avenues for prevention strategies to strengthen public safety.
Highlights
Admiration is a social emotion that is evoked by observing laudable behaviours—such as generosity, loyalty, fidelity, and commitment (Immordino-Yang et al, 2009; Pohling and Diesner, 2016; Schindler et al, 2013)—in others
In line with our predictions, results indicated that jihadists reported more admiration toward radical Islamist groups, F(1, 68) = 9.27, p = 0.003, η2p = 0.12, Ms = 0.91 vs. 0.11, SDs = 1.90 vs. 0.53, more fusion with religion, F(1, 68) = 17.32, p < 0.001, η2p = 0.20, Ms = 63.87 vs. 26.29, SDs = 40.94 vs. 38.93, and more willingness to engage in costly sacrifices for religion in prison, F(1, 68) = 19.41, p < 0.001, η2p = 0.222, Ms = 2.61 vs. 0.61, SDs = 2.43 vs. 1.27
To test our hypothesis that feelings of admiration toward radical Islamist groups and fusion with religion mediate the effect of groups on willingness to perform costly sacrifices for religion in prison, we performed a mediation analysis using Hayes’ (2018) PROCESS Macro, Model 6
Summary
Admiration is a social emotion that is evoked by observing laudable behaviours—such as generosity, loyalty, fidelity, and commitment (Immordino-Yang et al, 2009; Pohling and Diesner, 2016; Schindler et al, 2013)—in others. Admiration can lead members who marvel at the conviction of their peers to become inspired to engage in similar, if not costlier, behaviours to support their group. For groups engaged in violence, this contagious effect can have dramatic consequences. On March 15, 2019, a person previously unknown to authorities attacked two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, killing 51 people and injuring 49. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison described the perpetrator as an “extremist, right-wing, violent terrorist” with an admiration for groups supporting violence against Muslims
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