Understanding the psychological dynamics of individuals involved in the May 1998 mass riots: A psychological framework
Authors
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Eunike Mutiara Himawan
School of Languages and Cultures, The University of Queensland; Faculty of Psychology, Pelita Harapan University, Australia
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Annie Pohlman
School of Languages and Cultures, The University of Queensland, Australia
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Winnifred Louis
School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, Australia
https://doi.org/10.24854/jpu464
Keywords:
May 1998 riots , motivation and justification, perpetrators of mass riots, psychological dynamicsAbstract
Riots are a phenomenon that occur spontaneously and can be challenging to predict and analyze comprehensively. In fact, individual involvement in riots is important to examine, particularly given Indonesia’s history of mass violence, in order to provide a comprehensive explanation of what triggered the mass riots. Using a narrative review based on the literature published in 1990–2020, this study aims to provide a framework for understanding the psychological mechanisms of individuals involved in the May 1998 riots. This psychological framework is also expected to make a contribution to understanding the social psychology of perpetrators in similar contexts elsewhere. This study proposes three categories of attributes, which are: inter-group processes, intra-group processes, and personal characteristics. These attributes can interact with the social context so as to create individuals motivations and justifications to engage in mass violence.
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Copyright (c) 2021 Eunike Mutiara Himawan, Annie Pohlman, Winnifred Louis
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