Brandon Sparks

To prevent radicalisation into the involuntary celibate (‘incel’) community, it is critical to understand individual differences underlying inceldom. This exploratory research aimed to examine relationships between inceldom and attitudinal and trait-based risk factors for extremism. Study 1 explored relationships between misogyny, right-wing authoritarianism (RWA), social dominance orientation (SDO), and incel ideology endorsement in a male community sample (n = 65). Using another male community sample (n = 282), Study 2 examined associations between autistic traits (social-sensory sensitivity and monotropic processing), childhood traumatic experiences (CTEs), misogyny, and incel traits. Results showed that in Study 1, misogyny and RWA positively predicted incel ideology endorsement, while SDO was negatively predictive. In Study 2, CTEs and both aspects of autistic traits were positively associated with incel traits, and these associations were mediated by higher levels of misogyny. Self-identified incels also scored higher than non-incels on incel traits, misogyny, CTEs, and social-sensory sensitivity, but they did not differ on monotropic processing. The findings from these studies can help inform effective, tailored prevention programs and deradicalisation support systems for those wishing to leave the incel community.

To prevent radicalisation into the involuntary celibate (‘incel’) community, it is critical to understand individual differences underlying inceldom. This exploratory research aimed to examine relationships between inceldom and attitudinal and trait-based risk factors for extremism. Study 1 explored relationships between misogyny, right-wing authoritarianism (RWA), social dominance orientation (SDO), and incel ideology endorsement in a male community sample (n = 65). Using another male community sample (n = 282), Study 2 examined associations between autistic traits, incel traits, and childhood traumatic experiences (CTE). Results showed that misogyny and RWA positively predicted incel ideology endorsement, while SDO was negatively predictive. Autistic traits and CTE were positively associated with incel traits. Self-identified incels scored higher than non-incels on incel traits, misogyny, and CTE, but did not differ on autistic traits. Results are discussed in relation to improving deradicalisation support systems for those wishing to leave the incel community.

Anti-pornography advocates have asserted that the pornography industry is dangerous and increases performers' vulnerability to criminal outcomes such as prostitution, theft, fraud, and substance use. This narrative is often non-empirical, grounded in anecdotal accounts of limited generalizability. Thus, the goal of the current study is to quantitatively examine the porn-crime link using a publicly available database entitled Porn Star Mugshots. Further, we seek to explore whether career-related variables such as the number of scenes performed and studio type are associated with criminal changes for specific types of crime. The overall findings suggest that contrary to the harms-based pornography framework, performing in gay pornography and criminal risk do not appear to be strongly interrelated. Limitations of the current study and the implications of our findings for future research examining performers in gay male pornography are outlined.

BackgroundEmpirical knowledge of psychopathy is often misrepresented in the media and miscommunicated to the general public. This can have practical implications in legal settings. This research investigated how the labels used when discussing individuals characterised by psychopathic traits impacts lay judgements and attributions of them. MethodsParticipants (n = 477) read a randomised vignette that differed by the sex of the depicted character and the label used to describe them; namely ‘no label’, ‘having a clinical diagnosis’, and ‘displaying psychopathic personality traits’. Measures of mental health stigma and baseline beliefs about psychopathy were used as moderator variables.ResultsResults indicated that participants judged male (relative to female) characters, and those labelled as having either a psychopathy diagnosis or psychopathic personality traits (relative to no label conditions) more harshly. No interaction was found between these main effects, and neither mental health stigma nor beliefs about psychopathy moderated these differences. ConclusionWe call for more education around psychopathy targeted towards the general population; with results conveying international practical applications around the reporting and depiction of psychopathy in the media and within legal settings.

Incel refers to an online group of young males who feel frustration and despair at being repeatedly neglected on the dating market. Despite gaining notoriety for a number of public attacks, the majority of incel research is comprised of analyses of their forums rather than of individuals themselves. This provides a good contextual overview of the incel community but does not capture the experiences of incels or identify how and why this group responds so strongly to rejection. A total of 38 incel and 107 non-incel males (M_AGE = 23.60, SD = 4.90) were recruited through Reddit and two institutional forums to participate in the present online study, completing questionnaires pertaining to their dating app experiences and their mental and relational well-being. Large differences between incels and non-incels were found, with the former reporting greater depressive symptoms, rejection sensitivity, relationship status influence, and insecure attachment. These were all associated with perceived popularity, which incels scored lower on. Incels also adopted more liberal dating app strategies, yet reported fewer matches, conversations, and in-person outcomes. The pattern of results reported sheds new light on the role that dating apps may play in incels' efforts to attract mates and how these frustrations manifest. This is integral both to understanding the broader incel discourse as well as any efforts to develop treatment strategies with self-identified incels who seek counseling.

While the killing of one's own infant is an undoubtedly harrowing crime, there exists little research exploring attitudes toward these individuals. Such work has focused primarily on depictions of mothers, yet U.K. government data indicate that the majority of infant homicide cases involve paternal suspects. A sample of U.K. residents (n = 245) participated in a mixed-methods design to explore attitudes toward mothers and fathers who have been accused of murdering their infant child and whether parental mental health issues impacted these judgements. Results aligned with the chivalry hypothesis wherein maternal suspects were evaluated more leniently. Qualitative analyses uncovered hidden gender expectations: mothers were ascribed blame when the father was accused of infant homicide, a finding that was not present in the reverse scenario. This suggests that traditional views of motherhood conflict with a shifting social landscape that is seeing an increase in stay-at-home fathers and working mothers.

Incels—a ragtag collection of young males who have rallied around their shared experience of romantic rejection—have slowly emerged as an online group of interest to researchers, no doubt as a result of several high-profile attacks. Much of this work has centered around incels’ dating experiences, sexual attitudes, and online forums. However, it is possible that their moniker, short for involuntary celibate, has resulted in an overemphasis on their sexual exclusion and frustration. Recent work has identified social isolation as a key aspect of inceldom, which may help explain why incels have responded negatively to romantic rejection. The present study thus sought to examine the role of social support and loneliness in experiences of rejection in a sample of incel (n = 67) and non-incel (n = 103) men. Results indicated that incels experience more feelings of loneliness and less social supports than non-incel men. Both of these variables were associated with multiple mental and relational health issues that incels also scored more highly on. Further, incels reported using more solitary and problematic coping mechanisms. These results suggest that incels may be missing a key buffer in sheltering them from the adverse effects of romantic rejection. It also extends previous findings highlighting the importance of attachment styles in differentiating incels from non-incels, which may perpetuate feelings of isolation. Implications for how this may relate to incel discourse and clinical interventions are discussed.