A Common Psychology of Male Violence? Assessing the Effects of Misogyny on Intentions to Engage in Violent Extremism, Interpersonal Violence and Support for Violence against Women

Abstract

The growing evidence base of risk factors for violent extremism demonstrates overlaps with different types of gender-based violent behaviours, such as intimate partner violence, sexual assault, and sexual harassment. Each of these manifestations of violence are, to a varying extent, underpinned by misogynistic and hypermasculine attitudes and behaviours. The present analysis aims to address the limited empirical research on the links between misogyny, violent extremism, and gender-based violence by conducting survey-based analyses employing a newly developed and validated psychometric scale to measure misogyny. Based on a U.K. nationally representative survey (n = 1500), we examine the underlying mechanisms and contingent effects linking misogyny to violent extremism, interpersonal violence, and violence against women. The results show that misogyny predicts violent extremist intentions, willingness to engage in interpersonal violence and increased support for violence against women via revenge planning and hypermasculinity, particularly among men who experience a sense of violated entitlement and greater threats to the ingroup. Among women, misogyny is not associated with violent extremist intentions but is associated with readiness to use interpersonal violence and with increased support for violence against women. Our findings largely suggest a common psychology underlying different types of male violence. This has important practical implications, (1) suggesting that misogyny is a shared risk factor which underpins different types of male violence, (2) highlighting the mechanisms which link misogyny to (extremist) violence, (3) while further providing evidence which articulates when and for whom misogyny may be a risk factor. Establishing the relevance of misogyny as a risk factor for extremist and gender-based violence provides evidence pointing towards the potential benefits of incorporating misogyny within existing (extremist) risk assessment tools. Identifying shared mechanisms via which misogyny exerts its effects on different forms of male-perpetrated violence, further offers initial evidence to inform programmatic approaches to prevent and counter gender-based and targeted violence.