Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2019
Abstract
There is growing recognition about the similarities between generic criminality and violent extremism. Using data derived from a unique set of in-depth life history interviews with 40 former U.S. white supremacists, as well as previous studies of criminal desistance, we examine the emotional valence that characterizes actors' descriptions of the disengagement process. More specifically, results suggest that negative emotions (i.e., anger and frustration) directed toward the extremist group and oneself function as a catalyst for disengagement. Negative emotions become a source of motivation in re-evaluating the relative importance of the group as it relates to the individual. Ultimately, the reevaluation of the group is essential to the decision to disengage from violent extremism.
Recommended Citation
Simi, P., Windisch, S. Harris, D., & Ligon, G. (2019). Anger from Within: The Role of Emotions in Disengagement from Violent Extremism. Journal of Qualitative Criminal Justice & Criminology, 7(2). Retrieved from https://www.jqcjc.org/documents/v7i2.pdf
Peer Reviewed
1
Copyright
The authors
Included in
Community-Based Research Commons, Criminology Commons, Demography, Population, and Ecology Commons, Family, Life Course, and Society Commons, Other Sociology Commons, Social Control, Law, Crime, and Deviance Commons, Social Psychology and Interaction Commons, Sociology of Culture Commons
Comments
This article was originally published in Journal of Qualitative Criminal Justice &Criminology, volume 7, issue 2, in 2019.