Belief and Behavior in Radicalization: Clarifying the Link in Response to Peels
Belief and Behavior in Radicalization: Clarifying the Link in Response to Peels
Clark McCauley Sophia Moskalenko a Department of Psychology, Bryn Mawr College, Bryn Mawr, PA, USAb Department of Psychology, University of Latvia, Riga, LatviaClark McCauley is Research Professor of Psychology at Bryn Mawr College. His research interests include stereotypes, group dynamics, and the psychological foundations of ethnic conflict, terrorism, and genocide. He is co-author of Why Not Kill Them All? The Logic and Prevention of Mass Political Murder (2006), co-author of Friction: How Radicalization Happens to Them and Us (2011, second edition 2017), co-author of The Marvel of Martyrdom: The Power of Self-Sacrifice in a Selfish World (2019), co-author of Radicalization to Terrorism: What Everyone Needs to Know (2020), and Founding Editor emeritus of the journal Dynamics of Asymmetric Conflict: Pathways toward Terrorism and Genocide.Sophia Moskalenko is Professor of Psychology at the University of Latvia. She earned her PhD in Social and Clinical Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania. Her research examines radicalization, terrorism, disinformation, and conspiracy theories, with emphasis on mass identity processes, self-sacrifice, and resilience to extremism. Her research featured in American Psychologist, Political Psychology, Terrorism and Political Violence, and other journals. She has co-authored several books, including Psychology of the Extreme (Routledge, 2025), Pastels and Pedophiles (Stanford, 2021), and Radicalization to Terrorism: What Everyone Needs to Know (Oxford, 2020). Her work has been supported by the U.S. Department of Defense, Homeland Security, and NSF, and she has advised NATO, the UN, and the European Commission.