radicalism
Definition
Radicalism refers to a continuum of political action in which individuals adopt goals and means that deviate from societal norms governing acceptable political behavior, ranging from confrontational or illegal acts such as unauthorized demonstrations and property damage to violent extremism. It is conceptualized not by level of violence alone but by the rejection of established boundaries around how political change should be pursued. Research drawing on five-wave panel data from Swedish adolescents aged 13 to 17 found that within-person increases in political distrust, powerlessness, and dissatisfaction were each concurrently associated with increases in radical political behaviors, with political distrust accounting for the largest share of variance at 19 percent. The effects were more pronounced for boys than girls, and political dissatisfaction showed a reciprocal relationship with radicalism over time, such that each reinforced the other across the study period.
Sources: Miklikowska & Besta (2026)
Related Terms
- adolescence (1 shared article)
- political trust (1 shared article)
- radical political behavior (1 shared article)
- radicalization (1 shared article)
- political alienation (1 shared article)
- political powerlessness (1 shared article)
- political dissatisfaction (1 shared article)
Applications
Radicalism and Political Alienation
Political alienation, comprising political distrust, powerlessness, and dissatisfaction with the functioning of the political system, is associated with increased radical political behavior across adolescence. Adolescents who reported higher average levels of all three alienation dimensions also exhibited higher levels of radicalism at the between-person level, while those who felt more alienated than usual showed concurrent spikes in radical behavior. Classroom-level alienation did not significantly predict radicalism, indicating that individual rather than group-level experiences drove these associations.
Sources: Miklikowska & Besta (2026)
Radicalism and Gender
The relationship between political alienation and radicalism is moderated by gender, with the effects of distrust, powerlessness, and dissatisfaction each being significantly stronger for boys than for girls. Violent forms of radicalism are predominantly perpetrated by young men, and evidence suggests that gendered pathways into radicalization begin during adolescence.
Sources: Miklikowska & Besta (2026)
Radicalism and Political Dissatisfaction
Political dissatisfaction and radicalism exhibit a reciprocal longitudinal relationship, whereby each predicts growth in the other over time. This dynamic was identified through a Random Intercept Cross-Lagged Panel Model and distinguishes dissatisfaction from distrust and powerlessness, which showed largely concurrent rather than temporally predictive associations with radical behavior.
Sources: Miklikowska & Besta (2026)
