Fathali M. Moghaddam
Iranian-born psychologist
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Through Psychology
Theory and books
Moghaddam has proposed that there are two types of behavior: a first that is causally determined and a second that is normatively regulated. The mistake of traditional psychology, and social sciences more broadly, is to try to explain all behavior by applying causal models. He has attempted to demonstrate how causal and normative accounts can combine to create a more complete science of behavior. Second, through concepts such as the embryonic fallacy and interobjectivity, Moghaddam gives priority to collective over individual processes, and argues that personal worldview and identity emerge from collective worldview and identity. This sets him apart from traditional research, which he argued is individualistic and reductionist. Third, Moghaddam has criticized traditional psychology as reflecting the international power structure, with the United States as the only superpower of psychology stamping the discipline with its individualistic, 'self help' ideology. He has criticized what he claims is a 'wholesale' exportation of American psychology to the rest of the world, and argued for the need for an appropriate psychology for the non western world. His concept of double reification describes the process of Western culture being exported to the modern sector of non-Western societies, then being 'discovered' by cross-cultural researchers and reported as a 'universal.'
Moghaddam's work on dictatorship is featured in the TV series, "How to Become a Tyrant," which premiered on Netflix in July, 2021.
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Explaining terrorism
Since 9/11, Moghaddam has applied his 'collectivist/normative' approach to explaining radicalization and terrorism in the context of accelerating fractured globalization. His staircase model of terrorism is a concrete outcome of this approach. His solution to radicalization is a new policy to managing intergroup relations, based on his alternative policy of omniculturalism, which focused on human commonalities and rejects both assimilation and multiculturalism. He has also worked to establish an empirical basis for universal human rights, and to explain the rise and fall of dictatorships through his springboard model. His claim is that in terms of personality characteristics, there are potential dictators in all human groups. The key is to understand the conditions that give rise to the springboard, which enables a potential dictator to spring to power.
Although Moghaddam was initially trained as an experimental researcher using the minimal group paradigm (Henri Tajfel was his PhD thesis examiner), he has also used qualitative methods, collaborating with Rom Harré on positioning theory and exploring the role of language in conflicts. His interest in diverse methods have extended to cross-disciplinary interest in psychology and literature. Since 2013 he is the editor of Peace and Conflict: Journal of Peace Psychology.
Since 2010 he has introduced and focused his research on two new concepts. The first is political plasticity, how fast and how much cognition and action in the political domain can change. Limits on political plasticity underlie the failure of political revolutions to create open societies and slow the pace of change toward democracy.
The second new concept is mutual radicalization, the processes through which groups and nations radicalize and push one another to extremes. Drawing from well‑established psychological principles, in his book 'Mutual Radicalization' Moghaddam presents a dynamic, cyclical three‑stage model of mutual radicalization that explains how groups gather under extremist ideologies, establish rigid norms under authoritarian leadership, and develop antagonistic worldviews that exaggerate the threats posed by each other. This process leads to intensifying aggressive actions that can even reach the point of mutual destruction. Moghaddam applies his model to 10 real‑world case studies of mutual radicalization that focus on three main areas: the conflict between Islamist radicals and extreme nationalists in the West; nations that are mired in long-standing hostilities, including North Korea and South Korea; and the increasingly toxic atmosphere in American politics. He offers practical solutions for achieving deradicalization and highlights historical successes, such as German reunification.
Psychology in Literature
In 2021, Moghaddam published a book exploring psychology in Shakespearean plays (Moghaddam, 2021), having published on psychology theory in literature at least once before.