Challenging extremism: A randomized control trial examining the impact of counternarratives in the Middle East and North Africa

Bélanger, Jocelyn J.; Snook, Daniel W.; Dzitac, Domnica; Cheppih, Abdelhak

doi:10.1016/j.cresp.2023.100097

Cited by 5 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…If OCD is indeed found to play a role in violent activism, evidence‐based interventions to treat CBT (Olatunji et al, 2013) could be adapted and tested to lower violent tendencies and attitudes among extremists or prevent them among at‐risk groups (e.g., marginalized youth, Adam‐Troian et al, 2021). These deradicalization efforts would offer the advantage of not directly challenging people's ideologies, which could prevent psychological reactance and noncompliance among radicalized individuals (Bélanger et al, 2021; Bélanger et al, 2023).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“Consumed by creed”: Obsessive‐compulsive symptoms underpin ideological obsession and support for political violence

Adam‐Troian,

Bélanger

2023

Aggressive Behavior

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Radicalization is a process by which individuals are introduced to an ideological belief system that encourages political, religious, or social change through the use of violence. Here we formulate an obsessive‐compulsive disorder (OCD) model of radicalization that links obsessive passion (OP; one of the best predictors of radical intentions) to a larger body of clinical research. The model's central tenet is that individual differences in OCD symptom severity could shape radical intentions via their influence on OP. Across four ideological samples in the United States (Environmental activists, Republicans, Democrats, and Muslims, Ntotal = 1114), we found direct effects between OCD symptom severity and radical intentions, as well as indirect effects of OCD on radical intentions via OP. Even after controlling for potential individual difference and clinical confounds (e.g., adverse childhood experiences, loss of significance, and substance abuse), these relationships remained robust, implying that OCD plays a significant role in the formation of violent ideological intentions and opening new avenues for the treatment and prevention of violent extremism. We discuss the implications of conceptualizing radicalization as an OCD‐like disorder with compulsive violent tendencies and ideology‐related concerns.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“Consumed by creed”: Obsessive‐compulsive symptoms underpin ideological obsession and support for political violence

Adam‐Troian,

Bélanger

2023

Aggressive Behavior

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“…Previous research has highlighted that the effectiveness of counter-narratives, especially those that seek to discredit violent extremist actors, varies and depends, for example, on the content and source of the message (Bélanger et al, 2020). In fact, in some instances, counter-narratives were shown to attain no impact (Bélanger et al, 2023); in other cases, counter-narratives promoted stronger support for terrorist actors (Bélanger et al, 2020) or radical activism (Bélanger et al, 2021). Carthy and colleagues (2021) (Compton & Pfau, 2005).…”

Section: Attitudinal Inoculation To Prevent and Counter Violent Extre...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Does Attitudinal Inoculation Confer Resistance to Violent Extremist Propaganda? Assessing Mechanisms, Long-term Effects, and the Advantage of Visuals

Schumann

2024

Preprint

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Objectives: Previous research suggests that attitudinal inoculation can confer resistance to violent extremist propaganda. The present study aimed to strengthen and extend a currently scant evidence base.Hypotheses: First, we conceptually replicated Braddock (2019) and investigated whether attitudinal inoculation reduces intentions to support a violent extremist group (VEG) by eliciting higher levels of anger and counter-arguing. Advancing the literature, we examined as well if the effect of attitudinal inoculation on violent extremist behavioral intentions lasted for up to one week and if message-relevant emotionally evocative visuals enhanced the influence of inoculation stimuli.Method: We conducted a multi-phase longitudinal online experiment with two waves (Nwave1 = 498; Nwave2 = 399; age: M = 32.51 (SD = 12.45); 47% female, 32% male; .80% non-binary). Participants read the inoculation treatment (or control message) and were then exposed to the propaganda of a fictional VEG. Outcomes were measured immediately and again after one week.Results: Partially supporting Braddock (2019), inoculated participants who were less strongly ideologically aligned with the VEG reported (compared to the control condition) lower violent extremist behavioral intentions. Inoculation had no impact on the behavioral tendencies of individuals who were strongly ideologically aligned with the VEG. Crucially, contesting Braddock (2019), inoculated participants felt less (not more) anger towards the violent extremist group. After one week, no direct effect of attitudinal inoculation on violent extremist behavioral intentions but an indirect effect mediated by counter-arguing was confirmed. The modality of the inoculation stimulus did not moderate its influence. Conclusions: Attitudinal inoculation conferred resistance to violent extremist propaganda short-term and for individuals who are perhaps less at risk of being persuaded by VEGs. Further research is needed to replicate the exploratory findings and to investigate the role of anger as well as means to boost the long-term influence of attitudinal inoculation treatments.

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Does Attitudinal Inoculation Confer Resistance to Violent Extremist Propaganda? Assessing Mechanisms, Long‐Term Effects, and the Advantage of Visuals

Schumann,

Barton

2024

Community & Applied Soc Psy

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Previous research suggests that attitudinal inoculation can confer resistance to violent extremist propaganda. The present study aimed to strengthen and extend this rather scant evidence base. First, we conceptually replicated Braddock (2022) and investigated whether attitudinal inoculation reduces intentions to support a violent extremist group (VEG) by eliciting higher levels of anger and counter‐arguing. Advancing the literature, we examined as well if the effect of attitudinal inoculation on violent extremist behavioural intentions lasted for up to 1 week and if message‐relevant emotionally evocative visuals enhanced the influence of inoculation stimuli. We conducted a multi‐phase longitudinal online experiment with two waves (Nwave1 = 498; Nwave2 = 399). Participants read the inoculation treatment (or control message) and were then exposed to the propaganda of a fictional VEG. Outcomes were measured immediately and again after 1 week. Partially supporting Braddock (2022), inoculated participants who were less strongly ideologically aligned with the VEG reported (compared to the control condition) lower violent extremist behavioural intentions. Inoculation had no impact on the behavioural tendencies of individuals who were strongly ideologically aligned with the VEG. Crucially, contesting Braddock (2022), inoculated participants felt less (not more) anger towards the violent extremist group. After 1 week, no direct effect of attitudinal inoculation on violent extremist behavioural intentions but an indirect effect mediated by counter‐arguing was confirmed. The modality of the inoculation stimulus did not moderate its influence. In summary, attitudinal inoculation conferred resistance to violent extremist propaganda for a short period and for individuals who are perhaps less at risk of being persuaded by VEGs. Further research is needed to replicate the exploratory findings and to investigate the role of anger as well as means to boost the long‐term influence of attitudinal inoculation treatments. Please refer to the Supplementary Material section to find this article's Community and Social Impact Statement.

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Challenging extremism: A randomized control trial examining the impact of counternarratives in the Middle East and North Africa

Cited by 5 publications

References 24 publications

“Consumed by creed”: Obsessive‐compulsive symptoms underpin ideological obsession and support for political violence

“Consumed by creed”: Obsessive‐compulsive symptoms underpin ideological obsession and support for political violence

Does Attitudinal Inoculation Confer Resistance to Violent Extremist Propaganda? Assessing Mechanisms, Long-term Effects, and the Advantage of Visuals

Does Attitudinal Inoculation Confer Resistance to Violent Extremist Propaganda? Assessing Mechanisms, Long‐Term Effects, and the Advantage of Visuals

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