New Study Connects Cognitive Attributes to Extremist Behavior

With a master’s degree in clinical psychology from Adelphi University, Joshua Dietz authored “American Extremist: The Psychology of Political Extremism.” In the book, Joshua Dietz offers insights into the connection between psychological dysfunction and extreme ideologically-drive acts.

Published in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, a new study seeks to shed light on the emotional and cognitive attributes that may lead an individual to commit violence in support of ideological beliefs, such as nationalism. In part, the study identified several predictors that lead to extremist acts. These include reduced working memory, tendencies toward sensation seeking, and slower unconscious processing of such changing stimuli as color and shape. The researchers found these attributes manifest in impulsive behavior, yet individuals who exhibit the attributes are also slower to process perceptual information.

The study’s findings could aid efforts to identify better and support individuals who are vulnerable to radicalization. Currently, radicalization policy primarily utilizes demographic data, like race, gender, and age. By incorporating personality and cognitive information, the researchers behind the new study developed a statistical model that better identified extreme ideological thinking.