INVESTIGATING THE EFFECT OF SOCIAL DISCONNECTION, DEHUMANIZATION AND MEANING IN LIFE ON SUPPORT FOR POLITICAL VIOLENCE

Abstract

The study examines the relationships between social alienation, dehumanization, meaning in life and support for political violence among drug addicts, prisoners and students. A total of 354 individuals from various departments, prisons and different drug rehab centers participated in the study, with a number of male and female respondents. Using a purposive sampling technique, participants completed validated scales: the social alienation scale, dehumanization scale, Meaning in life scale and support for political violence scale. The results show positive association between social alienation and support for political violence (r = .335, p<.001), dehumanization and support for political violence (r = .304, p<.001), support for political violence and meaning in life (r = .409, p<.001) indicating that individuals with higher consistent dehumanized behavior, meaning in life and those who are socially alienated people tend to experience a greater support for political violence. The study highlights that people who feel isolated or feeling cut out from others, who perceive other people less than humans, and people who have strong meaning in life to justify any act of violence. For the future studies it may also ruminate examining defensive factors, such as social care, community involvement, or religious surviving, that may decrease the effect of alienation and dehumanization on violent behavior.

Keywords: Social Alienation, Dehumanization, Political Violence, Drug Addicts, Prisoners