Pretus, C., Sheikh, H., Hamid, N., & Atran, S. (2023).
Journal of Social and Political Psychology,
11(2), 730–746. https://doi.org/10.5964/jspp.11255
Abstract
Perceptions of injustice are central to fueling violent political action, though not everyone within a social movement will support violence in response to collective grievances. So who supports violence and who doesn't after perceived injustice? To address this question, we followed up on the same individuals (N = 805) before and after a court decision in Catalonia (Spain) sentencing nine separatist leaders to prison, an event that led to mass violent and nonviolent protests. We tested three hypotheses by combining classical theories of collective action and more recent extremism models and found support for all three hypotheses. Namely, individuals who exhibited steeper increases in radicalism (controlling for activism) after the court ruling were those who had previously experienced police violence (social dynamics hypothesis), those who identified as separatists (separatist identity hypothesis), and those who held Catalan 2 independence as a sacred value (sacred value hypothesis). Our findings offer a complex picture of real-world conflict settings, where the three evaluated factors seem to be intertwined. We discuss potential venues to restore inter-group relations after perceived injustice, with an assessment of how likely these strategies are to succeed based on the three adopted perspectives.
Here are some thoughts:
This study investigated what makes people who feel wronged turn to violence. Researchers studied people in Catalonia, Spain, following a court ruling that many Catalans felt was unfair. They found that people who felt more strongly about Catalan independence (separatist identity and sacred value) and had experienced police violence in the past were more likely to report increased support for violence after the court ruling.
The study suggests that these three factors may reinforce each other. For instance, experiencing police violence might strengthen someone's separatist identity and make them see independence as a more sacred value.
The researchers acknowledge limitations like not having a control group that wasn't exposed to the court ruling. They also note their findings may not apply to groups that see non-violence as a core value. Future studies could look at these factors across different cultures and social movements.
Overall, the study suggests that a sense of injustice, combined with a strong group identity and a feeling that the group's values are under attack, can make people more likely to support violence.
