Premium
Fight and Flight: Evidence of Aggressive Capitulation in the Face of Fear Messages from Terrorists
Author(s) -
Iyer Aarti,
Hornsey Matthew J.,
Vanman Eric J.,
Esposo Sarah,
Ale Shalini
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
political psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.419
H-Index - 95
eISSN - 1467-9221
pISSN - 0162-895X
DOI - 10.1111/pops.12182
Subject(s) - persuasion , terrorism , fear appeal , face (sociological concept) , social psychology , psychology , computer security , political science , criminology , sociology , law , social science , computer science
In an era of digital technology and the I nternet, terrorists can communicate their threats directly to citizens of W estern countries. Yet no research has examined whether these messages change individuals' attitudes and behavior or the psychological processes underlying these effects. Two studies (conducted in 2008 and 2010) examined how A merican, A ustralian, and B ritish participants responded to messages from O sama bin L aden that threatened violence if troops were not withdrawn from A fghanistan. Heightened fear in response to the message resulted in what we call “aggressive capitulation,” characterized by two different group‐protection responses: (1) submission to terrorist demands in the face of threats made against one's country and (2) support for increased efforts to combat the source of the threat but expressed in abstract terms that do not leave one's country vulnerable. Fear predicted influence over and above other variables relevant to persuasion. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.