Citation

Arena MP, Arrigo BA. Deviant Behav. 2000; 21(3): 213-244.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2000, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The literature conceptually exploring the deviant behavior of white supremacists is somewhat limited. Those contributions that do exist tend to be more disciplinary specific, anchored in sociological, psychological, or criminological research. One approach to organizing the extant literature comes from social psychology. This domain allows for considerably more disciplinary cross-fertilization. The present study examines the behavior of white supremacists utilizing a social psychological model. The model emphasizes the intrapsychic, the interpersonal, and the situational dynamics at work in the daily practices of white supremacists. In order to assess how these prisms operate, four thematic categories, essential to the organization of white supremacists, are systematically investigated. These categories include the role of power, identity, sexuality, and the definition of the situation. We contend that our social psychological approach represents something of an integrated model for understanding the deviant attitudes, thought processes, and ritualized activities of white supremacists. We conclude by suggesting that the proposed interpretive schema may have utility in other, similar areas of social scientific inquiry.