Psychologists went to war-torn Northern Iraq to find out why some fighters will sacrifice everything for their cause

This study finds that commitment to a value “can trump group loyalty in willingness to fight”. As such, the researchers hope their findings will help policymakers wrangling with how best to deal with the threat posed by groups like IS. They add that an important subject for further study is why some groups are better able to inspire loyalty to an abstract cause than others. Emma Young (@EmmaELYoung) is Staff Writer at BPS Research Digest —The devoted actor’s will to fight and the spiritual dimension of human conflict
Source: BPS RESEARCH DIGEST - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Tags: Political Race Religion Terrorism Source Type: blogs