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Individual differences in relational motives interact with the political context to produce terrorism and terrorism-support

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 August 2014

Lotte Thomsen
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, 0317 Oslo, Norway. lotte.thomsen@psykologi.uio.no Department of Political Science, University of Aarhus, 8000 Aarhus C., Denmark. Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138jsheehy@fas.harvard.eduhttp://www.jennifersheehyskeffington.comhttp://harvard.academia.edu/LotteThomsensidanius@wjh.harvard.eduhttp://projects.iq.harvard.edu/sidaniuslab/people/jim-sidanius
Milan Obaidi
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138jsheehy@fas.harvard.eduhttp://www.jennifersheehyskeffington.comhttp://harvard.academia.edu/LotteThomsensidanius@wjh.harvard.eduhttp://projects.iq.harvard.edu/sidaniuslab/people/jim-sidanius European University Institute, I-50014 San Domenico di Fiesole (FI), Italy. Milan.Obaidi@eui.euhttp://eui.academia.edu/MObaidi
Jennifer Sheehy-Skeffington
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, 0317 Oslo, Norway. lotte.thomsen@psykologi.uio.no Department of Political Science, University of Aarhus, 8000 Aarhus C., Denmark. Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138jsheehy@fas.harvard.eduhttp://www.jennifersheehyskeffington.comhttp://harvard.academia.edu/LotteThomsensidanius@wjh.harvard.eduhttp://projects.iq.harvard.edu/sidaniuslab/people/jim-sidanius
Nour Kteily
Affiliation:
Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208. n-kteily@kellogg.northwestern.eduhttp://www.kellogg.northwestern.edu/faculty/directory/kteily_nour.aspx
Jim Sidanius
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138jsheehy@fas.harvard.eduhttp://www.jennifersheehyskeffington.comhttp://harvard.academia.edu/LotteThomsensidanius@wjh.harvard.eduhttp://projects.iq.harvard.edu/sidaniuslab/people/jim-sidanius

Abstract

The psychology of suicide terrorism involves more than simply the psychology of suicide. Individual differences in social dominance orientation (SDO) interact with the socio-structural, political context to produce support for group-based dominance among members of both dominant and subordinate groups. This may help explain why, in one specific context, some people commit and endorse terrorism, whereas others do not.

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2014 

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