The problem of research on the socio-psychological characteristics of persons who have committed serious and heinous crimes of violence for ideological reasons

The article presents the results of a content analysis of the interviews of participants of radical nationalist groups who committed serious and heinous crimes of violence motivated by racial and religious hatred and enmity ("hate crimes"). The study involved 20 people aged 18 to 30 years. As the results of the interview, the subjects demonstrated the need for "black and white" perception of the world in which there is necessarily an image of an enemy to be destroyed. This makes them particularly susceptible to the incentive effects of extremist communications. We showed very similar socio-demographic and socio-psychological characteristics in respondents which suggest the presence of a common set of character traits that form a stable syndrome. We highlighted the socio-demographic and socio-psychological traits of individuals who are prone to commit "hate crimes".