Militant extremist mindset

Abstract

Militant extremist mindset refers to a fixed set of beliefs that motivate people to engage in violent activities directed toward specific others. In our previous work we have identified three components that together define militant-extremist mindset, and have been identified across different cultures. These are broadly known as nastiness, grudge, and excuse: nastiness represents anti-social and pro-violent attitudes; grudge is a feeling of animosity and resentment typically directed toward some other group which serves as a trigger for action; and excuse represents a higher-order justification for engaging in militant extremism. These "ingredients" of militant-extremist-mindset are defined more specifically according to the context and vary according to culture and setting. For example "excuse" typically represents a particular set of religious beliefs. Further empirical work may reveal whether this mindset is present to some extent in the general population. If so, these measures of militant-extremist mindset might be useful in assessing population-wide attitudinal changes or the effectiveness of anti-terrorist social interventions.