Reciprocal Determinism and the Development of a Radical Social Identity

Abstract

This seminar introduces a new research project funded by the Office of National Intelligence, which seeks to develop novel theoretical insights in response to key questions regarding radicalisation. In particular, the project seeks to address the questions of why so few of those exposed to radicalising conditions ultimately radicalise; and why so few of those radicalised individuals ultimately engage in violence. In seeking to address these questions, the research is anchored in an understanding of reciprocal determinism, and subsequently applies a social identity approach to build a more rigorous theoretical framework that analyses the interactions between specific cognitive processes and social norms within radical groups that justify radical behaviours. Using experimental and survey data, this project seeks to identify how radicalisation is enabled by cognitive changes resulting from interactions between social environments, cognitions, and behavioural responses. This seminar will also present the results from the first survey undertaken by the project.

Presenter Bio

Dr. Emily Corner is an Associate Professor at the Australian National University’s POLIS: The Social Policy Research Centre. She specialises in the study of terrorist behaviour, radicalization, and the intersection of mental disorders with criminal activities. Before joining ANU, she was a Research Associate at University College London. Dr. Corner’s doctoral research, which won the Terrorism Research Initiative’s Best Thesis Award in 2016, examined the role of mental disorders in terrorist behaviour. She has published extensively in leading journals across psychology, forensic science, criminology, and political science. Her work has been funded by various prestigious organizations, including the European Union and the Department of Defence.