Influence of Identity on Extremist Attitudes Formation: An Empirical Study (Psychological and Linguistic Approach)

The article discusses and empirically studies the influence of identity on the level of extremist attitudes formation among the representatives of different age groups, taking into account the results of linguistic analysis. The significance of studying the determinants of extremism is stated and discussed. The modern theories of extremist behavior are analyzed. The contemporary points of view on the motivation of extremist actions are determined and compared; the characteristics of the extremist motive and its content are described. The social, economic and psychological reasons that stand behind extremism are described. The directions and areas of psychological research of extremist attitudes are considered. The role of identity in the formation of extremist attitudes is noted, the need for an empirical study of various aspects of identity in order to identify the level of radicalization is substantiated. The article describes the procedure of empirical research of extremist attitudes based on a sampling of different age groups (n = 950). We establish the influence of such parameter as certainty of identity on fanatic and nationalistic attitudes. During the research we used self-reporting methods. Statistical analysis is performed using descriptive statistics methods, such as ANOVA, MANOVA. We also describe the results of the linguistic and cognitive analysis of the addresser's identity representation and his ideas about the identity of the addressee in multicode conflict-provoking texts in correlation with the empirical research data. The results of statistical analysis show specific differences in the determination of extremist attitudes and views by the identity. It was defined that the uncertainty of identity contributes to the formation of fanatical attitudes, potentially influencing the development of religious extremism. The results of self- and social identity on creating nationalist attitude differ a lot. The research reveals specific features of creating fanatical mindset at various age periods, as well as its adjacency with social identification. Constructing a certain social identity, as evidenced by our results, leads to an increase in fanatical attitudes from low to average level.