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Cited by 19Social and Intergroup PsychologyTerrorism, Counterterrorism, and Political ViolencePsychology of Moral and Emotional Judgment

Why true believers make the ultimate sacrifice: sacred values, moral convictions, or identity fusion?

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Martel, Francois Alexi, Buhrmester, Michael, Gómez, Angel, Vázquez, Alexandra, Swann, William B.·2021·Frontiers in Psychology
DOI 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.779120PMC PMC8634031
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Abstract

Recent research has identified three promising candidates for predicting extreme behavior: sacred values, moral convictions, and identity fusion. Each construct is thought to motivate extreme behavior in unique ways: Sacred values trigger extreme actions when people are asked to compromise cause-related values for personal gain; moral convictions trigger extreme actions when a cause is aligned with one’s moral compass; and identity fusion triggers extreme actions when a cause is inextricably associated (“fused”) with the personal self. In six studies, we asked which of the three constructs (either alone or in combination) was most predictive of sacrifice for a cause. We measured all three constructs with respect to either of two causes: gun rights (Studies 1–3) or abortion rights (4–6). The outcome measure was endorsement of fighting and dying for the cause. Although all three constructs were significant predictors of the outcome measure when considered separately, identity fusion consistently emerged as the strongest predictor of endorsement of self-sacrifice when all three were considered simultaneously. This pattern occurred regardless of the target cause (gun or abortion rights), the participant’s position on the cause (i.e., pro-gun or anti-gun, pro-choice, or pro-life), or nationality (American vs. Spanish). Also, there was no evidence that the predictors interacted to predict the outcome measure. Finally, a manipulation that threatened the validity of the personal self strengthened the relationship between endorsement of self-sacrifice and both (a) identity fusion and (b) moral convictions. The latter finding suggests that threats to the validity of one’s self-views may amplify the extreme behaviors of true believers.

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  • Beliefs that emphasize submission, sacrifice, or divine testing may lead individuals to remain in harmful relationships, delaying intervention and increasing risk.

    “For example, beliefs that emphasize submission, sacrifice, or divine testing may lead individuals to remain in harmful relationships, delaying intervention and increasing risk (Laurin et al., 2012; Martel et al., 2021).”

    From From use to abuse: psychological, neurobiological, and spiritual pathways in relational harm and recovery (2026) · cites this paper as Martel et al., 2021

    The Introduction discusses moral convictions and willingness to make extreme sacrifices, while the Limitations section discusses intervention for people fused with violent causes. Neither addresses beliefs about submission or divine testing, remaining in harmful relationships, delayed intervention, or increased risk. Searches for harmful relationships and divine testing found no passage supporting the attributed claim; page numbers were not available in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.76)

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Authors
Martel, F. A., Buhrmester, M., Gómez, A., Vázquez, A., & Swann, W. B.
Affiliations
  • The University of Texas at Austin (US)
  • University of Oxford (GB)
  • Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (ES)
Corresponding author
Martel, Francois Alexi
ORCID
Venue
Frontiers in Psychology
Publisher
Frontiers Media SA
Published
2021-11-15
Volume
12
Pages
779120-779120
ISSN
1664-1078 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.3389/fpsyg.2021.779120
PMC
PMC8634031
OpenAlex
W3213329579
Cited by
19
References
44
Citations by year
2026: 5 · 2025: 7 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 2
FWCI
2.43
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Frontiers in Psychology (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Funders
  • National Science Foundation (1761238)
  • AFOSR (FA9550-17-C-0023 P00003)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Social and Intergroup Psychology
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Terrorism, Counterterrorism, and Political Violence
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Psychology of Moral and Emotional Judgment
Keywords
extreme behavior, self-sacrifice, sacred values, moral conviction, identity fusion, right to bear arms, abortion rights, moral identity, political ideology, cross-national comparison

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