The paradoxes of polarization: The unexpected role of system justification. A study in 13 countries
Prof. Xenia Chryssochoou (Social and Political Psychology Lab, Department of Psychology, Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences, Athens, Greece) will be the Guest Professor for the inaugural session of the CIS-Iscte Research Group - PsyChange .
This session will take place on October 2, 11h00 am, at the B226 Building 4, Iscte-CVTT.
@ Rombo, Pexels
Abstract: In this presentation, I draw on data from the WIDE Lens Survey of the OppAttune Horizon Project, conducted across 13 European countries (N = 6,123), to examine whether disaffection leads to extremism. Combining variable-oriented and person-oriented approaches, the study focuses on everyday forms of political extremism, particularly online behaviors that undermine opposing views and exclude those who express them.
From a variable-oriented perspective, I argue that system justification can foster acceptance of everyday extremist behaviors by motivating individuals to defend the existing social order. I further propose that this relationship is mediated by trust in institutions. Mediation analyses largely support this argument: across most countries, individuals who more strongly justify the system are more likely to accept everyday extremist behaviors, partly because they place greater trust in institutions.
A person-oriented analysis complements these findings by identifying distinct ideological profiles based on attitudes toward the social order, democracy, institutional trust, social disintegration, political efficacy, vulnerability, and social mobility. These profiles differ significantly in their support for everyday extremism and populist beliefs.
The findings reveal that individuals who strongly justify the system and report lower levels of disaffection are often more supportive of everyday extremist behaviors than those who perceive society as unjust and dysfunctional. Overall, the results challenge the assumption that disaffection is the primary driver of extremism and highlight the importance of lay understandings of the social order in shaping polarized attitudes and behaviors in contemporary Europe.
Short Bio:
Professor Xenia Chryssochoou holds a degree in Psychology from the University of Athens and a PhD from the University Rene Descartes–Paris V (1996). She has worked in France, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom before joining Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences, where she is now Professor of Social and Political Psychology and Director of the Laboratory of Social and Political Psychology (https://polsocpsylab.panteion.gr/).
Her research focuses on identity construction in liberal societies, migration, multiculturalism, ideology, and political participation. Professor Chryssochoou has authored numerous scientific articles and books and has edited special issues and collective volumes on these themes. She is also an active member of several international scientific associations.
She has served on the Executive Committee of the European Association of Social Psychology, including as Secretary, and worked as a Consultant to the Council of Europe on multiculturalism (2004–2005). She has collaborated with the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) on research related to identity, diversity, and democratic participation.
She coordinated (Administrative) the Horizon Europe project OppAttune, involving 15 countries and investigated everyday forms of extreme behavior that contribute to the polarization of democratic dialogue. She has served as Chair of the Scientific Council of the Hellenic Foundation for Research and Innovation (H.F.R.I./ELIDEK) and is currently Chair of the Department of Psychology at Panteion.
