‘Uncertainty’ a factor in identifying with extremist groups

In times of great uncertainty, both personal or societal, people often tend to identify strongly with social groups or categories that appear relatively extreme in their structures, beliefs and practices.

That is the theory discussed by Professor Michael Hogg of The University of Queensland in his keynote speech delivered to delegates at the British Psychological Society’s Annual Conference at the City Hall Cardiff, UK, Friday 31 March 2006.

In a program of studies conducted on undergraduate students, it was found participants identified more strongly with, and defined themselves in terms of, certain political parties when they felt more uncertain about themselves. The group selected was highly entitative, that is, the group was particularly distinctive, clearly defined and tight-knit.

“Examples of times of great personal uncertainty include when someone is made redundant or has lost someone close to them. Societal uncertainty can be caused by war or economic collapse,” Professor Hogg said.

“Experiencing one or both of these can motivate people to try to reduce their feelings by belonging to a group and evaluating themselves in terms of the group’s attributes.”

According to Professor Hogg and his colleagues, some groups are better at reducing self-uncertainty than others.

The groups more successful in reducing uncertainty are those that have some combination of orthodox and ideological belief systems, hierarchical and authoritarian internal structures, and an atmosphere that suppresses dissent. The more profound, enduring and far-reaching the uncertainty, the more important these attributes become.

“People with high levels of self-uncertainty are likely to identify very strongly with such groups, and in this sense become ‘true believers’,” Professor Hogg said.

This research has implications in contemporary debates about religious, ethnic and political fundamentalism and provides insights into why people might engage in such behaviour.

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