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Discordant knowing: A social cognitive structure underlying fanaticism

Gollwitzer, Anton; Olcaysoy Okten, Irmak; Osorio Pizarro, Angel; Oettingen, Gabriele
Peer reviewed, Journal article
Accepted version
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URI
https://hdl.handle.net/11250/3009746
Date
2022
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Original version
Journal of Experimental Psychology: General. 2022. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General. Online First Publication, May 19, 2022.   10.1037/xge0001219
Abstract
Examining the epistemic and social–cognitive structures underlying fanaticism, radicalization, and extremism

should shed light on how these harmful phenomena develop and can be prevented. In nine studies (N =

3,277), we examined whether discordant knowing—felt knowledge about something that one perceives as

opposed by most others—underlies fanaticism. Across multifaceted approaches, experimentally manipulating

participants’ views to fall under this framework (e.g., “I am certain about X, but most other people think X is

unknowable or wrong”) heightened indicators of fanaticism, including aggression, determined ignorance, and

wanting to join extreme groups in the service of these views. Additional analyses found that this effect occurs

via threat-based mechanisms (Studies 1–7), can be intervened on to prevent fanaticism (Study 2), is conditional on the potency of opposition (Study 3), differs from effects on extremism (Study 4), and extends to

mental representations of the self (Study 5). Generalizing these findings to real-world contexts, inducing participants with discordant knowledge about the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election and the morality of abortion

heightened fanaticism regarding these topics (Studies 6 and 7). Additionally, antivaccine fanatics and followers of a real-world fanatical religious group exhibited greater discordant knowing than nonfanatical individuals (Studies 8 and 9). Collectively, the present studies suggest that a specific epistemic structure—

discordant knowing—underlies fanaticism, and further, highlight the potential of investigating constructs like

fanaticism from an epistemic social cognitive perspective
Publisher
American Psychological Association
Journal
Journal of experimental psychology. General
Copyright
American Psychological Association

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