Editing Extremism (section)

== Theories of extremism ==
[[Eric Hoffer]] and [[Arthur Schlesinger Jr.]] were two political writers during the mid-20th century who gave what they purported to be accounts of "political extremism". Hoffer wrote ''[[The True Believer]]'' and ''The Passionate State of Mind'' about the psychology and sociology of those who join "fanatical" mass movements. Schlesinger wrote ''The Vital Center'', championing a supposed [[Centrism|"center"]] of politics within which "mainstream" political discourse takes place, and underscoring the alleged need for societies to draw definite lines regarding what falls outside of this acceptability.

[[Seymour Martin Lipset]] argued that besides the extremism of the left and right there is also an ''extremism of the center'', and that it actually formed the base of [[fascism]].<ref>G. M. Tamás: "[http://new.bostonreview.net/BR25.3/tamas.html On Post-Fascism] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140826160716/http://new.bostonreview.net/BR25.3/tamas.html |date=2014-08-26 }}", ''[[Boston Review]]'', Summer 2000</ref>

[[Laird Wilcox]] identifies 21 alleged traits of a "political extremist", ranging from "a tendency to [[character assassination]]" and [[hate]]ful behavior like "name calling and [[labelling]]", to general character traits like "a tendency to view opponents and critics as essentially evil", "a tendency to substitute [[intimidation]] for argument" or "[[groupthink]]".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lairdwilcox.com/news/hoaxerproject.html |title=Laird Wilcox on Extremist Traits |publisher=Lairdwilcox.com |access-date=2013-09-08 |archive-date=2013-09-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130928020941/http://www.lairdwilcox.com/news/hoaxerproject.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

"Extremism" is not a standalone characteristic. The attitude or behavior of an "extremist" may be represented as part of a spectrum, which ranges from mild interest through "obsession" to "fanaticism" and "extremism". The alleged similarity between the "extreme left" and "extreme right", or perhaps between opposing religious zealots, may mean only that all these are "unacceptable" from the standpoint of the mainstream or majority.

Economist Ronald Wintrobe<ref>{{cite web|url=http://economics.uwo.ca/faculty/wintrobe/ |title=Economics at [University of] Western [Ontario]|publisher=Economics.uwo.ca |access-date=2013-09-08}}</ref> argues that many extremist movements, even though having completely different ideologies, share a common set of characteristics. As an example, he lists the following common characteristics between "Jewish fundamentalists" and "the extremists of Hamas":<ref>Wintrobe (2006), p. 5</ref>

{{Blockquote|
* Both are against any compromise with the other side.
* Both are entirely sure of their position.
* Both advocate and sometimes use violence to achieve their ends.
* Both are nationalistic.
* Both are intolerant of dissent within their group.
* Both demonize the other side.
}}

=== Psychological ===
Among the explanations for extremism is one that views it as a plague. [[Arno Gruen]] said, "The lack of identity associated with extremists is the result of self-destructive self-hatred that leads to feelings of revenge toward life itself, and a compulsion to kill one's own humanness." In this context, extremism is seen as not a tactic, nor an ideology, but as a pathological illness which feeds on the destruction of life.<ref name="ab">Dr. Peter T. Coleman and Dr. Andrea Bartoli: [http://www.tc.columbia.edu/i/a/document/9386_WhitePaper_2_Extremism_030809.pdf Addressing Extremism] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924113521/http://www.tc.columbia.edu/i/a/document/9386_WhitePaper_2_Extremism_030809.pdf |date=2015-09-24 }}, pp. 3–4</ref> [[Kathleen Taylor (biologist)|Dr. Kathleen Taylor]] believes [[religious fundamentalism]] is a mental illness and is "curable."<ref>{{cite news |last=Bruxelles |first=Simon de |title=Science 'may one day cure Islamic radicals' |work=[[The Times]]  |location=London |access-date=2013-05-31 |date=30 May 2013 |url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/science/article/science-may-one-day-cure-islamic-radicals-rkffnkxvg85}}</ref> There are distinct psychological features of extremists that contribute to conflict among societal groups; [http://www.janwillemvanprooijen.com/ Jan-Willem van Prooijen] identified them as psychological distress, cognitive simplicity, overconfidence and intolerance.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=van Prooijen|first1=Jan-Willem|last2=Krouwel|first2=André P. M.|date=2019-04-01|title=Psychological Features of Extreme Political Ideologies|journal=Current Directions in Psychological Science|language=en|volume=28|issue=2|pages=159–163|doi=10.1177/0963721418817755|issn=0963-7214|doi-access=free|hdl=1871.1/aac0f2cb-b748-4cbe-b31e-c405a790dd7e|hdl-access=free}}</ref>

Another view is that extremism is an emotional outlet for severe feelings stemming from "persistent experiences of oppression, insecurity, humiliation, resentment, loss, and rage" which are presumed to "lead individuals and groups to adopt conflict engagement strategies which "fit" or feel consistent with these experiences".<ref name="ab" />

Extremism is seen by other researchers as a "rational strategy in a game over power",<ref name="ab" /> as described in the works of [[Eli Berman]].

In a 2018 study at [[University College London]], scientists have demonstrated that people with extreme political views (both extreme right and extreme left) had significantly worse metacognition, or the ability of a person to recognize they are wrong and modify their views when presented with contrary evidence, thus creating an opinion that supports only their idea of wrong and right. People found on either of the political extremes were shown to have much greater (but misplaced) confidence in their beliefs, and resisted change.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/radical-politics-extreme-left-right-wing-neuroscience-university-college-london-study-a8687186.html|title=People with extreme political views 'cannot tell when they are wrong', study finds|date=2018-12-17|website=The Independent|language=en|access-date=2018-12-23}}</ref>

A 2019 study found that political extremism on both the left and right tended to have four common psychological features: psychological distress stimulates the adoption of an extreme ideological outlook, extreme ideologies tend to have relatively simplistic black-white perceptions of the social world, said mental simplicity causes overconfidence in judgements, and political extremists are less tolerant of different groups and opinions than moderates.<ref>van Prooijen, Jan-Willem, and André PM Krouwel. "Psychological Features of Extreme Political Ideologies." Current Directions in Psychological Science (2018): 0963721418817755.</ref>