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title: ‘Fused’ people eager to die and kill for their group, research shows [ Print ]

author : tianzc    time : 2015-8-5 10:47
title: ‘Fused’ people eager to die and kill for their group, research shows
AUSTIN, Texas — People with extremely strong ties to their countries or groups are not only willing, but eager, to sacrifice themselves to save their compatriots, according to new psychology research from The University of Texas at Austin.
In a study to appear in Psychological Science, Bill Swann, professor of psychology, and a team of researchers found the majority of “fused” people, those who view themselves as completely immersed in a group (be it ethnic, national or other), are willing to commit extreme acts for the good of their compatriots.
“Fused group members believe that through suicide, their lives will achieve tremendous significance,” Swann said. “Their strong sense of moral agency drives them to see not only that justice is done, but to also take an active role in its implementation.”
The psychology researchers who co-authored the study included Sonia Hart of The University of Texas at Austin, Angel Gomez of Universidad Nacional de Educacion a Distancia in Spain, John F. Dovidio of Yale University and Jolanda Jetten of the University of Queensland.
In the study, the researchers recruited 506 college students at the Universidad Nacional de Educacion a Distancia in Spain. Based on the students’ answers in online questionnaires, the researchers identified 38 percent of the participants as “fused” as compared to “non-fused,” with Spain. They then measured their self-sacrificial behaviors.
To test the subjects’ willingness to die for their group, the researchers based their Web surveys on different variations of the “Trolley Problem.” Coined by British philosopher Judith Jarvis Thomas in 1967, the “Trolley Problem” presents a hypothetical moral dilemma in which a person must choose whether to kill one person to save five strangers from a fatal trolley collision either by pushing a man in front of the tracks or simply flipping a switch that would automatically kill an innocent bystander. To put a new spin on the moral dilemma, the researchers added self-sacrifice as a means of saving a member of their group from a runaway trolley.
''The study revealed that an overwhelming majority of fused respondents are willing to take extreme, bold steps to save the lives of their group members. According to the findings:
Swann said the study may offer new insights into the mindsets of groups with extremist ideology.
“In an era in which the act of sacrificing one’s own life for the group has had world-altering consequences, it is critical to learn more about the psychological underpinnings of such activity,” Swann said.
</p>For more information, contact: Jessica Sinn, College of Liberal Arts, 512-471-2404; Bill Swann, professor of psychology, 512-471-3859.




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