How Robust Is the Moderating Effect of Extremist Beliefs on the Relationship Between Self-Control and Violent Extremism?. (July 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Pauwels, Lieven J. R.; Svensson, Robert
• Is Part Of: Crime and delinquency. Volume 63:Number 8(2017)
• Page Start: 1000
• Page End: 1016
• Publication Date: 2017-07
• Subjects: Situational Action Theory -- violent extremism -- self-control -- extremist beliefs -- interaction; Crime -- United States -- Periodicals; Juvenile delinquency -- United States -- Periodicals; 364.05
• DOI: 10.1177/0011128716687757
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0011-1287

Abstract

The present research note studies the interaction between the ability to exercise self-control and extremist moral beliefs with regard to the explanation of violent extremism. Although some evidence exists for the interaction between moral beliefs and self-control in the explanation of adolescent offending, no previous study has studied this interaction effect in a survey of young adults and with regard to politically or religiously motivated violence. This study therefore extends the existing literature by testing a key proposition of Situational Action Theory. We use a large-scale web survey of young adults in Belgium. The results support the hypothesis that the effect of the ability to exercise self-control is conditional upon one's extremist beliefs. The results are stable across extremism-specific measures of extremist beliefs.