The Rise of Extremism in Democratic Societies

About this Research Topic

Background

Within the context of social psychology since the late 1950s, extensive research has delved into the mechanisms driving individuals toward extremist views. Two questions come back regularly: what is extremism, and why and how we can become extreme? Even if those questions have been subject to inquiries for many years, we believe that the current societal changes ask for new insights to better grasp why extremist mindset seems to contaminate our societies.

Extremism encompasses not only violent acts but also a mindset of black and white thinking that can arise from the complexities of our period beyond extremist movements. While scholars investigate the psychology behind extremist behavior, it is also pertinent to consider whether current democratic societies may contribute to fostering such mindsets and how we might alter this trend.

Another question that is more and more relevant today concerns how extremism develops and threatens democracy. Democratic countries seem to be less and less immune to extreme political positions. The present Research Topic aims to explore this rising topic as far right, far left, and overall populist movements as well as political polarization become the new normal.

How can current research explain not only the growth of ideological and political extremes but also their presence in all the world's major democracies? How can we explain the fact that violent extremism is, for some citizens, a reasonable and efficient form of protest? What links does this extremism have with conspiracism? Is extremism one of the consequences of political polarization? Why do new extremist trends, masculinism for example, spread so fast? Is extremism a symptom of a failure to provide a future, both for people and for our planet? What is this feeling of being lost in our world, of having a strong feeling of distrust in every leader, of believing nothing can change evermore? Why does extremism seem to be such a satisfying way to rebel against a political system? Moreover, in democratic nations, polarization, conspiracism, and ideological extremism are interlinked. These tendencies have eroded trust in institutions, often leading to the paradoxical belief that democracies are authoritarian. May those tendencies undermine the political foundations of democratic countries and the notion of freedom?

These are just some of the questions that arise from the psychological processes that lead to extreme thinking, and which have a direct impact on the way democracies function. This collection aims to shed light on the interactions between democracies and rise of extremism. We will also stress the link between democracy, extremism, globalization, and personal life significance. Some of the relevant topics could be:

• Threats of extremism on democracies
• How extremism fuels even more extremism
• Efficient ways to prevent extremist views or to reduce polarization or radicalization in democracy
• Radicalism as a vector of change and difference with extremism in democratic systems
• Believe in tomorrow: the social psychology of future thinking to decrease hopeless
• Extremist thinking in an uncertain world: from cognitive inflexibility to violent behavior
• Alone and lost: Trust in institutions, anomia, and violent behavior in democracies
• Consequences of global geopolitical context for extremist mindset

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

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• Clinical Trial
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• Data Report
• Editorial
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Clinical Trial
• Community Case Study
• Data Report
• Editorial
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy and Practice Reviews
• Policy Brief
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Extremism, Democracy, Polarization, Radicalism, Globalization, Social Psychology

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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