The relationship between closed-mindedness and militant extremism in a post-conflict society

Article

Knezevic, Goran, Lazarevic, Ljiljana B., Međedović, Janko, Petrović, Boban and Stankov, Lazar. 2022. "The relationship between closed-mindedness and militant extremism in a post-conflict society." Aggressive Behavior. 48 (2), pp. 253-263. https://doi.org/10.1002/ab.22017
Article Title

The relationship between closed-mindedness and militant extremism in a post-conflict society

ERA Journal ID6067
Article CategoryArticle
AuthorsKnezevic, Goran, Lazarevic, Ljiljana B., Međedović, Janko, Petrović, Boban and Stankov, Lazar
Journal TitleAggressive Behavior
Journal Citation48 (2), pp. 253-263
Number of Pages11
Year2022
PublisherJohn Wiley & Sons
Place of PublicationUnited States
ISSN0096-140X
1098-2337
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1002/ab.22017
Web Address (URL)https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ab.22017
Abstract

This study aimed to examine the role of socio-political attitudes and motivational tendencies supposed to mark closed-mindedness, as well as other relevant variables of individual differences (Disintegration, i.e., proneness to psychotic-like experiences/behaviors and Death Anxiety), in the Militant Extremist Mindset (MEM). A community sample of 600 young respondents (Serbs, Bosniaks, and Albanians, aged 18–30) was recruited within a multiethnic region of Serbia that experienced armed conflict during the break-up of the former Yugoslavia. The best-fitted SEM model, incorporating measurement and structural relationships between the variables, showed that the latent factor of Closed-mindedness predicted all three aspects of MEM as well as Neighborhood Grudge, that is, resentment toward neighboring ethnicities. The effects of Disintegration and Death Anxiety on MEM were entirely mediated by Closed-mindedness. Compared to previous findings, Closed-mindedness appears to represent the most important set of cognitive and motivational tendencies that channel protracted intergroup tensions into militant extremism.

Keywordssocio‐political attitudes and beliefs; closed‐mindedness; disintegration; death anxiety; militant‐extremist‐mindset; need for closure; quest for personal meaning
Public Notes

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Byline AffiliationsUniversity of Belgrade, Serbia
Institute of Criminological and Sociological Research, Serbia
University of Sydney
University of Southern Queensland
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