A certain degree of ‘extremism’ is necessary for survival, according to social psychologists, who argue the personality trait is behind positive social developments.
Most people associate extremism with terrorism, rather than figures such as Marie Curie, Steve Jobs, Van Gogh, Mother Teresa, or Martin Luther King. Yet each of these individuals exhibited a single-track mind, psychologists have argued, pursuing a single motivation with supreme dedication to the exclusion of other concerns.
In other words, they were all ‘extremists’, at least according to Arie W. Kruglanski, a social psychologist at the University of Maryland, and Sophia Moskalenko, a psychologist at Georgia State University. Kruglanski and Moskalenko are the authors of The Psychology of the Extreme, a new book which delves into the psychological traits behind extremism.
According to research by the pair, extremists are people who put all of their mental and energetic resources into pursuing one dominant need, while neglecting all other concerns. If this continues unchecked, eventually the individual is ready to do just about anything, no matter how costly or harmful, for this one dominant cause.
But it is not just famous people who display extremist personality traits, they say; in fact, we can all be found somewhere on the ‘extremist’ spectrum. Extremists include ‘workaholics’, or people addicted to videogaming, extreme sports or even the gym.
People who display extremist traits can achieve great things, they suggest, for example by creating beautiful artworks, building new inventions, or furthering humanitarian causes. However, extremists can also be destructive and cause death and devastation. Nevertheless, they explain that the same psychological makeup, or core dynamic, belies both behaviours.
“Although it may seem jarring to even mention the saintly Mahatma Gandhi in the same breath as the murderous bin Laden, the psychological similarities between their two cases are striking,” says Kruglanski.
“Both men came from privileged backgrounds and were shy and unremarkable in their youth. Both came of age in an Asian country subjected to Western colonial culture – and both opposed this influence and dedicated their lives to fighting it.”
According to Kruglanski and Moskalenko, both made great personal sacrifices for their cause: first changing how they dressed, what they ate, with whom they associated; then trying to convert their families to their cause; then dedicating their careers, risking their safety, freedom, and lives for it. Ultimately both died for their cause.
Because of the level of sacrifice required, extremism exacts a serious personal price from those who succumb to it. Extremists almost always experience social isolation, and separation from mainstream family and friends.
For this this reason, most extremists do not remain so for long. However, the exception is when extremists find other people to share their obsessions, a feat that is easier now with the advent of social media.
“Finding or forming a group that shares and supports one’s extremism is typically crucial to maintaining it, as the vast majority of people need to be accepted and respected,” says Moskalenko.
“Social media allows extremists to easily and instantaneously connect with similarly minded others online, no matter how esoteric and deviant from the mainstream their interests happen to be.”
According to Moskalenko and Kruglanski, a certain degree of ‘extremism’ may even be necessary for survival: it helps us focus at times of emergency on a single objective, while momentarily “forgetting” all else. It may even have evolved as a necessary part of reproduction. After all, they argue, romantic love is a form of extremism which takes over one’s thoughts and desires, keeps one up at night, and makes one forget food and rest in pursuit of passion. A parents’ willingness to do anything to ensure the survival of their offspring is also an example of an extremist behaviour.
“Extremists can succeed where moderate individuals would have long given up, defying the odds and persevering despite formidable obstacles,” says Kruglanski.
“Whatever the goal, whether it is professional success, athletic performance, academic achievement, or indeed violent and destructive pursuits, extremists are more likely to attain it than non-extremists.”
Nevertheless, for those who might want to rein in their own extremist traits, there are a few methods that have been shown to work. The authors point to practicing tolerance of other’s viewpoints, recognising one’s own egotism and quest for significance; and tuning in to all of one’s needs rather than shutting them out in favour of one.
The authors suggest that it may be down to a person’s loved ones to pull them back onto the straight and narrow path: “A person’s social circle—family, caring adults, peers—is the first line of defence against extremism,” says Moskalenko.