Abstract
Right-wing extremist attitudes can seem rational when they are viewed from the near-term, group-linked interests of individuals in their own well-being, ascendency, or domination. We test an elaboration of a rational choice theory of right-wing extremism that focuses on hierarchic and self-interested imperatives in market-driven societies. Our elaboration of this theory identifies a theoretical and empirical unification of four social psychological dimensions - involving competitive processes of social comparison, individualism, materialist preoccupations with success, and the acceptance of social inequality. These dimensions coalesce into a higher order, latent subterranean construct we call hierarchic self-interest. This latent construct is strongly related to right-wing extremism among samples of East and West German youth. Male adolescents experiencing the rapid transition to a market economy in an economically and socially depressed East Germany may be especially susceptible to extremist appeals to hierarchic self-interests. Male and East German youth express stronger hierarchic self-interests than female and West German youth, and these differences mediate the greater tendencies of male and East German youth to express hostility toward immigrants and foreigners, who are often a step below and in competition with them on the socioeconomic ladder of success. Hierarchic self-interest is a persistent and dangerous source of support for right-wing extremism.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 162-183 |
| Number of pages | 22 |
| Journal | Social Science Research |
| Volume | 28 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jun 1999 |
Funding
Right-wing extremist attitudes can seem rational when they are viewed from the near-term, group-linked interests of individuals in their own well-being, ascendency, or domination. We test an elaboration of a rational choice theory of right-wing extremism that focuses on hierarchic and self-interested imperatives in market-driven societies. Our elaboration of this theory identifies a theoretical and empirical unification of four social psychological dimensions—involving competitive processes of social comparison, individualism, materialist preoccupations with success, and the acceptance of social inequality. These dimensions coalesce into a higher order, latent subterranean construct we call hierarchic self-interest. This latent construct is strongly related to right-wing extremism among samples of East and West German youth. Male adolescents experiencing the rapid transition to a market economy in an economically and socially depressed East Germany may be especially susceptible to extremist appeals to hierarchic self-interests. Male and East German youth express stronger hierarchic self-interests than female and West German youth, and these differences mediate the greater tendencies of male and East German youth to express hostility toward immigrants and foreigners, who are often a step below and in competition with them on the socioeconomic ladder of success. Hierarchic self-interest is a persistent and dangerous source of support for right-wing extremism. r 1999 Academic Press This research was supported by grants from the German Research Council, the German-American Academic Council Foundation, the W. T. Grant Foundation, the U.S. German Marshall Fund, and the German Academic Exchange Service.
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Education
- Sociology and Political Science
