The proud boys raging righteously at the U.S. capitol on January 6, 2021: A hate group in action.

Abstract

Righteous rage constitutes an expression of political power for many hate groups operating currently in the United States, enticing them toward emotionally charged aggression against their adversaries. We offer a case study of one such group—the Proud Boys—in the context of their violent attack of the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. Rather than a momentary feeling, their righteous rage is a potent force for forming, defining, and organizing their mission to overpower their adversaries. In particular, their righteous rage is defined by (a) behavioral manifestations, (b) the emotional contagious impact of such manifestations, and (c) the centrality of raging to one’s identity as a social movement. Regarding their identity, they tend to don Proud Boy symbols on their clothes, wear helmets, and carry lethal weapons, as if aspiring to exhibit the warrior’s bravery, valor, strength, and devotion. The Proud Boys members self-position as warriors protecting the nation, Western chauvinism and (more recently) the White race. In raging righteously, the Proud Boys are absorbed with evildoers, seeking to expose their malicious past and attempting to subvert their current designs. With such absorption, the emotionally charged rationale for aggression is set in place.

The Insurrectionist Playbook: Jair Bolsonaro and the National Congress of Brazil

“…The manufactured notion of a constitutional military intervention and Bolsonaro’s historical revisionism (Waymer & Heath, 2023), which posits that there was no coup to establish an authoritarian regime controlled by the Brazilian military in 1964, also feature prominently in the statements. Taken together, these narrative frames are carefully crafted to stir “righteous rage” (Rothbart & Stebbins, 2022). This combination of conservative social agenda, cultural war, and insurrectionist pragmatism was effective at rallying the base, but it is unclear the extent to which it was embraced by the government coalition, a broader political group without which the Bolsonaro administration would fail to govern.…”

“…This latter body of work speaks to the behavioral and psychological factors driving the radicalization of insurrectionists by applying theories of group psychology to the 6 January insurrectionists (Jackson & Hinsz, 2022). Rothbart and Stebbins (2022) argued that righteous rage constitutes an expression of political power and that emotionally charged aggression against adversaries is integral to hate groups. The Proud Boys in the United States reportedly relied on righteous rage as a force for forming, defining, and organizing their mission to overpower their adversaries and offer a central emotional identity to their social movement (Rothbart & Stebbins, 2022).…”

“…Rothbart and Stebbins (2022) argued that righteous rage constitutes an expression of political power and that emotionally charged aggression against adversaries is integral to hate groups. The Proud Boys in the United States reportedly relied on righteous rage as a force for forming, defining, and organizing their mission to overpower their adversaries and offer a central emotional identity to their social movement (Rothbart & Stebbins, 2022). This is consistent with dynamic social impact theory (DSIT), which posits that people influence and are influenced by others in proportion to their strength, immediacy, and number (Latané, 1996a)―allowing for the emergence of group-level phenomena of clustering, correlation, consolidation, and continuing diversity (Latané, 1996b).…”

Another Civil War in America? Comparing the Social Psychology of the United States of the 1850s to Today

“…Today, liberals are deeply disturbed by what they perceive as the unfair tactics that have led to an enlargement of the conservative majority on the Supreme Court (Basinger & Mak, 2020), while conservatives are incensed at what they perceive as insufficient efforts to restrain protests such as the Occupy and Black Lives Matter movements (Rothbart & Stebbins, 2022; Updegrove et al, 2020).…”

The Insurrectionist Playbook: Jair Bolsonaro and the National Congress of Brazil

“…The manufactured notion of a constitutional military intervention and Bolsonaro's historical revisionism (Waymer & Heath, 2023) also feature prominently in the statements. Taken together, these statements are carefully aimed at creating 'righteous rage' (Rothbart & Stebbins, 2022). This combination of conservative social agenda, cultural war, and insurrectionist pragmatism was effective at stirring the base, but it is unclear if it managed to convert the government coalition.…”