Date of Award
2026
Degree Type
Open Access Dissertation
Degree Name
Psychology, PhD
Program
School of Social Science, Politics, and Evaluation
Advisor/Supervisor/Committee Chair
Michael A. Hogg
Dissertation or Thesis Committee Member
William D. Crano
Dissertation or Thesis Committee Member
P. Wesley Schultz
Dissertation or Thesis Committee Member
Jocelyn J. Bélanger
Terms of Use & License Information
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Rights Information
© 2026 Michelle Blaya Burgo
Keywords
civic engagement, identity complexity, P/CVE, radicalization, social identity, uncertainty
Subject Categories
Psychology | Social Psychology
Abstract
Violent radicalization and politically motivated violence are pressing concerns that threaten global peace, security, and social cohesion. Violence is costly, in both lives and resources, and reactive measures have failed to decrease its occurrence. In a world marked by uncertainty where some degree of conflict is unavoidable, the focus should be on preventing violence. Previous research had demonstrated that various group- and individual-level factors can lead people to radicalize; this work extends that research by introducing social identity complexity (Roccas & Brewer, 2002) as a potential buffer against radical pathways. The current research proposed that complex identity structures – defined as perceptions of having multiple, distinct ingroup memberships – might decrease susceptibility to radicalization by preventing individuals from hyper-focusing on a single identity and pushing it to the extreme. Drawing on social identity (Tajfel & Turner, 1986; Turner et al., 1989), uncertainty-identity (Hogg, 2021a, 2021b), and identity complexity (Roccas & Brewer, 2002) theories, two studies tested this idea. Across both studies, participants were recruited via Prolific and compensated for their participation. Study 1 (N = 226) employed a 2×2 experimental design manipulating identity complexity (simple vs. complex) and self-uncertainty (low vs. high) to examine their effects on activism and radicalism intentions, as well as attitudes toward identity structure. Participants first identified a social identity that was important to their sense of self, which served as the focal identity for the study. Results revealed that identity complexity significantly influenced radicalism intentions: participants with simple identity structures reported higher radicalism intentions than those with complex structures. Additionally, individuals with complex identities exhibited a stronger overall inclination toward activism over radicalism. However, self-uncertainty did not significantly impact the dependent variables. Study 2 (N = 240) extended these findings by examining a predefined polarizing identity – political identity – within which all participants were asked to self-identify, and by measuring natural levels of identity-uncertainty. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that higher identity-uncertainty predicted higher radicalism intentions. While identity complexity did not directly affect intentions to engage in activism or radicalism, having a complex identity structure was associated with higher collective self-esteem and greater importance placed on such structure. Importantly, identity salience moderated the relationship between uncertainty and radicalism: when political identity was highly salient, uncertainty significantly increased radicalism intentions. This suggests that the protective effect of identity complexity decreases when one identity becomes highly salient, effectively simplifying the individual’s identity structure. Additionally, across both studies, most participants leaned more toward activism than toward radicalism, yet a non-negligible subset expressed stronger intentions toward radicalism, underscoring the need to understand how to counter this tendency toward violence. Taken together, the findings indicate that while uncertainty can motivate action, complex identity structures may serve as a protective factor, preventing individuals from fixating on a single identity. Limitations, implications for prevention and countering violent extremism (P/CVE) efforts, and future directions are discussed.
ISBN
9798244858761
Recommended Citation
Blaya Burgo, Michelle. (2026). Pathways to (Prevent) Radicalization: How Uncertainty and Identity Complexity Shape Vulnerability. CGU Theses & Dissertations, 1089. https://scholarship.claremont.edu/cgu_etd/1089.
