The Resilience of Radicalism: Strategies for reducing dissonance and sustaining extremist attitudes
Keywords:
Cognitive Dissonance, Deradicalisation, Disengagement, Extremism, Induced Hypocrisy, Attitude ChangeAbstract
This article provides an empirically-backed account of the diverse ways radicalised individuals respond to experiences of dissonance. It investigates why certain dissonance-inducing experiences—such as counter-ideological evidence or positive intergroup contact—trigger disengagement in some individuals while leaving others unaffected. Drawing on in-depth interviews with former extremists, this study identifies specific dissonance characteristics and resolution strategies employed by radicalised individuals that facilitate such a ‘resilience of radicalism’. Understanding these mechanisms can inform the design of targeted interventions to inhibit defensive and reinforcing coping strategies and better leverage the potential for inducing cognitive dissonance as a catalyst for attitudinal change.
Acknowledgement:
This work was supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation), under grant number: 528853785.
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