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Incels, Violence, And Masculinity: How Masculinity And Membership To Online Communities Shape Perceptions Of Violence, Meghan Scarlott Jun 2023

Incels, Violence, And Masculinity: How Masculinity And Membership To Online Communities Shape Perceptions Of Violence, Meghan Scarlott

Student Theses

As online involuntary celibate (incel) forms have grown, they have become dominated by violent and misogynistic rhetoric. There have also been instances of offline violence being motivated by incel ideology and anti-feminist beliefs. Past research has established a link between inceldom and violent rhetoric through analysis of incel forum posts and activity. However, comparisons between non-incels and incels regarding masculinity and violence have rarely been conducted. We used a survey design to compare incels and non-incels on three factors: support for violence, inceldom characteristics, and internalized masculinity. Consistent with prior research, incels held more negative views of women and feminism …


Changing Tides: Online Conspiracy Theory Use By Radical Violent Extremist Groups Over Time, William J. Eames Iii Jan 2023

Changing Tides: Online Conspiracy Theory Use By Radical Violent Extremist Groups Over Time, William J. Eames Iii

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Radical violent extremist terrorism is a global issue that has existed for centuries and has been the cause of millions of deaths. Extremist organizations have learned to adapt and survive attempts at legal/military interdictions. One possible major element that allows for the survival of these radicalized organizations is the use of conspiracy theories within their online messages that are used to radicalize and recruit members to their cause. These conspiracy theories tend to elicit two types of messages: a quest for significance or a loss of significance. This study aims to observe how extremist organizations utilize conspiracy theories in their …


Extreme Ideologies, Situational Factors, And Terrorists’ Target Selection, Evan Mudgett May 2020

Extreme Ideologies, Situational Factors, And Terrorists’ Target Selection, Evan Mudgett

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the current study is to examine how ideology and situational factors shape terrorist target selection in the United States. While a growing number of studies have examined target selection by terrorists, the current study is the first to consider how combinations of factors present situated opportunities for terrorists to select particular types of targets as opposed to others. Guided by the situational crime prevention approach, this study relies on data from the American Terrorism Study (ATS) to measure attributes of incidents perpetrated by far-right and Islamic extremists and target selection. The outcomes of interest include government versus …


Evaluating The Effects Of Counterterrorism Strategies On Insurgency In Nigeria, Bowie Sonnie Bowei Jan 2019

Evaluating The Effects Of Counterterrorism Strategies On Insurgency In Nigeria, Bowie Sonnie Bowei

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

With the evolving problems of terrorism in Nigeria and the formation of numerous new terrorist groups, insurgency in Nigeria has escalated, making it one of the most terrorized countries in sub-Saharan Africa. This study looked critically at the effects of the strategies applied in the attempt to fight terrorism and how these strategies have affected insurgency in Nigeria. The background of the study gives an insight on the evolution of terrorist groups in Nigeria, their mode of operation, effects on citizens and the Nigerian economy, as well as the operations of counterterrorist agencies. The qualitative research method was used for …


Influence Of Distributed Reporting Of Terror Violence On Implicit Associations Of Individuals, Carter Matherly Jan 2018

Influence Of Distributed Reporting Of Terror Violence On Implicit Associations Of Individuals, Carter Matherly

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Following the 9/11 terror attacks, many Americans experienced some form of habit or mood-altering stress though, most had received their impressions of the violence via distributed media reporting rather than firsthand exposure. Researchers have found that the propagating effects of media broadcasting can exasperate the effects of terror. However, little is known of how reports of terror violence affect group dynamics in geographically distant nations. The purpose of this study, following terror management theory, was to understand if terrorist violence influences cognitive and implicit racial evaluations in a culturally similar, but geographically distant, population. The study's design was a quantitative …


Post-9/11 Media Coverage Of Terrorism, Zachary S. Mitnik Jun 2017

Post-9/11 Media Coverage Of Terrorism, Zachary S. Mitnik

Student Theses

Media coverage of terrorist attacks plays an important role in shaping the public understanding of terrorism. While there have been several studies analyzing coverage of terrorist incidents prior to 9/11, there has been little research examining post-9/11 coverage. This study fills this gap by examining the media’s coverage of terrorism in the United States between the dates of September 12, 2001 and December 31, 2015. The analysis is based on a list of terrorist-related incidents and New York Times articles written on each incident. This study documents the amount of coverage received by these incidents and identifies the variables influencing …


A Radical Idea: Applying Psychological Strategy To Combat Foreign Fighters Defending The Islamic State, David Michael Smaney May 2017

A Radical Idea: Applying Psychological Strategy To Combat Foreign Fighters Defending The Islamic State, David Michael Smaney

MSU Graduate Theses

This thesis focuses on the necessity of psychological strategies to combat the Islamic State’s recruitment of foreign fighters. This thesis argues that psychological strategies are a primary weapon due to the psychological nature of the war against the Islamic State, which is a part of the overall war of ideas. This thesis does not consider psychological strategies for other aspects of U.S. counterterrorism strategy, nor does it reflect the difficulties involved with developing U.S. strategies in the U.S. federal government. Furthermore, this thesis only focuses on foreign fighter defending and supporting the Islamic State, which is the successor of Al …


A Theoretical Analysis Of Isis Indoctrination And Recruitment, Trevor Hawkins Dec 2016

A Theoretical Analysis Of Isis Indoctrination And Recruitment, Trevor Hawkins

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

This paper is an attempt to use various theories in the social sciences as a tool to understand the mechanisms employed in ISIS indoctrination and recruitment tactics. There is a discussion of theories that have been developed in the field of influence psychology, rationalizing the context of indoctrination within this area of study. There is a discussion of proposedly relevant materials in philosophy, specifically simulacrum and linguistic deconstruction. These components are extrapolated to interpret a first person account of ISIS indoctrination, the first-ever ISIS recruitment film, and a Radical-Islamist periodical Inspire Magazine. Using a form of propaganda film analysis, and …


Rights Abuse As Root Causes Of Political Violence In Nigeria, Andrew Abidemi Olugbenga Babalola Jan 2016

Rights Abuse As Root Causes Of Political Violence In Nigeria, Andrew Abidemi Olugbenga Babalola

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Ethnic division fuelled by inadequate governance and uneven economic development has led some ethnic based groups to regard violence as a legitimate means to achieve political and social ends. The political disruption caused by ethnic militia related violence in Nigeria prevented the first 3 attempts at republican democracy. The purpose of this study was to analyze the role played by human rights abuse in Nigeria in the formation of the Oodua People's Congress (OPC) in 1994, and to also analyze the OPC turning to violence in 1999. The theoretical construct of the study is the constructivist philosophy, which purports that …


The Psychology Of Terrorism And Radicalization, Gina K. Dejacimo Jan 2015

The Psychology Of Terrorism And Radicalization, Gina K. Dejacimo

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Terrorism and radicalized political groups are an ever-growing subsection of the American and international news cycles. Mainstream media outlets tend to focus on the atrocious actions of terrorists, leaving the American public without a true understanding of what encourages someone to become a violent, radicalized extremist. This paper intends to investigate possible psychological factors that can predict a person’s likelihood to become radicalized and participate in a salafi jihadi terrorist campaign. If such psychological conditions exist, perhaps they are the key to preventing radicalization in the first place, and in turn, the key to preventing any terrorist activity. What other …


The Effects Of Terrorism And Bias Against Muslims And Evangelical Christians In An Online Adult Sample: A Test Of Terror Management Theory, Angelo L. Rannazzisi Jan 2014

The Effects Of Terrorism And Bias Against Muslims And Evangelical Christians In An Online Adult Sample: A Test Of Terror Management Theory, Angelo L. Rannazzisi

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Considering the sociopolitical events of the past decade, the effect of terrorism on the behavior of others has gathered interest in the field of social psychology. Terror Management Theory has been used to conceptualize responses to individual’s fears of mortality. Because one of the goals of terrorism is to generate fear in a specific population, using Terror Management Theory to conceptualize responses to terrorism is appropriate. The current study attempts to ascertain if participants’ responses to stimuli that are indirectly related to Islam can be conceptualized using Terror Management Theory. The results of the study did not support this interpretation. …


The Antecedents And Consequences Of Trust In Authorities For Protection Against Cartel Violence And Terrorism Threat, Nishad Jabeen Jan 2013

The Antecedents And Consequences Of Trust In Authorities For Protection Against Cartel Violence And Terrorism Threat, Nishad Jabeen

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The current study examined the effects of cartel violence and terrorism threat on people's judgments, emotions and behaviors in response to the threat. It was hypothesized that prior threat experience, perception of threat severity, negative emotions, and attitudes toward authorities would influence trust in federal and local authorities for protection against the threat of cartel violence and terrorism. It was also expected that trust in authorities would increase compliance to authority recommendations to prepare for the threat. The sample consisted of 592 University of Texas at El Paso Introduction to Psychology students and El Paso community members. Participants completed an …