Blamespeak: Can Words Lead to Violence?

"Research on polarization indicates that when people in one group talk to themselves a lot, their positions on issues become more extreme. 1 On the other hand, when people with opposing views speak in person with each other, their views tend to become less extreme. 2 Studies of individual and mass shooters have found that they are often on social media before committing their murders and that encouraging language is often exchanged among them. 3"

"When words are repeated over and over again, they begin to feel true even if they are exaggerations or not true at all. This is called the illusion of truth effect.4 When emotional stories are told, the most negative words, the most emotional words, and the most expressive faces are absorbed by the listener. The "peak-end" effect refers to the emotional peaks of a story."

When members of a partisan group speak primarily within their own group, positions on issues tend to become more extreme. In-person conversations between people with opposing views tend to reduce extremity. Individual and mass shooters are often active on social media before committing murders, and encouraging language is frequently exchanged among them. In-group speakers using inflammatory language have a stronger impact. Repetition of words fosters an illusion of truth, and emotional stories imprint negative and expressive elements on listeners. The "peak-end" effect causes emotional peaks and endings to be remembered and amplified, energizing mobs online and in person. In Rwanda in 1994, over 800,000 Tutsi were slaughtered by the Hutu majority, primarily with machetes.

Read at Psychology Today