Political violence arises from frustration over unmet value expectations

Evidence

Gurr’s relative deprivation (RD) model can be summarized thus: (a) collective political violence is a form of aggression; (b) aggression results from anger, which is produced by frustration; (c) the fundamental cause of feeling frustration is an imbalance between what one gets and what one considers one’s due: in Gurr’s language, “discrepancy between men’s value expectations and their value capabilities” (Gurr, 1970b, p. 24, also Gurr, 1968a, p. 1104). Obviously, the propensity to feel frustrated and its consequences are in a special sense “inherent.” However, it is a dormant disposition until aroused by special extrinsic forces strong enough to overcome the tendency toward pacific acquiescence. The greater the scope and intensity of RD, of course, the more likely is violent behavior per se as well as at high “magnitudes” (see diagram in Gurr, 1970b, p. — John T. Jost and Jim Sidanius, Political Psychology, 4287 (#expands, via linked claim)

People do not have to be emotionally distressed to resort to violent means (Bandura, 1973). Many instances of human violence are motivated by the expected benefits of such behavior. For example, many homicides result from disputes over locality rights to lucrative drug dealerships. Self-efficacy in plying criminal trades supports the use of premeditated murder to maintain and expand control over profitable activities. Those who plan to commit murder devote their time to devising strategies to avoid getting caught rather than weighing possible legal consequences of their actions. — Albert Bandura, Moral Disengagement, 1961 (#complicates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Science-fiction violence encodes rage at unfulfilled collective fantasies.; Political silence often masks latent resentment that erupts when opportunity arises. — Nina Eliasoph, Avoiding politics: how Americans…, 1634; Riots express a failure of politics rather than being merely criminal — Mark Fisher (edited by Darren Ambrose), K-Punk: The Collected and Unpublished…, 1297 (+10 more)

Broader Connections

• Political violence stems from frustration at a gap between expectations and capabilities #expands (0.95) — John T. Jost and Jim Sidanius, Political Psychology, 4287
• Instrumental violence driven by expected gain bypasses moral restraint via deliberate strategy #complicates (0.76) — Albert Bandura, Moral Disengagement, 1961