They didn't think I could be that person online, but I was: a journey in and out of inceldom.

Smith, David

Abstract

The present study uses interviews to explore why young men join involuntary celibate (aka incel) communities, why they stay, and some factors that predict their leaving. The manosphere represents an informal digital coalition in which groups of mostly men share anti-feminist narratives and promote hegemonic masculinity. Its taxonomies broadly consist of alpha males, who help other men to attract women, and beta identities, including incels, who view themselves as socially/biologically inferior and unable to compete for them. Incels, therefore, position themselves at the bottom of an apparent natural hierarchy of masculinity and share discourses that emphasise the permanency of this rank. Over time, their deterministic perspective makes them increasingly embittered and, in extreme cases, has been linked to acts of violence and murder. The study was conducted through in-depth interviews with nine former incels, which were subject to a thematic analysis. The study identified a series of six themes that represent key stages across participants' journeys in and out of incel groups. Combined, they address short-term benefits associated with inceldom's explanatory value, how the hopelessness it inspires made them increasingly reliant on their communities for an outlet, and the importance of social support for leaving. This is a small sample gathered from those who have left inceldom. As such, their views may have been less extreme than current members. However, the relatively young age of incels implies high dropout rates over time. This research charts a composite trajectory for many young men who may be vulnerable to incel radicalisation. It is also the first research known by the author to recruit former (rather than current) incels and to explore their whole journey.

Citation

SMITH, D. 2023. They didn't think I could be that person online, but I was: a journey in and out of inceldom. Presented at the 18th European congress of psychology: psychology: uniting communities for a sustainable world, 3-6 July 2023, Brighton, UK.

• Presentation Conference Type: Lecture
• Conference Name: 18th European congress of psychology: psychology: uniting communities for a sustainable world
• Conference Location: Brighton, UK
• Start Date: Jul 3, 2023
• End Date: Jul 6, 2023
• Deposit Date: Jul 6, 2023
• Publicly Available Date: Oct 25, 2023
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1024/2673-8627/a000043
• Keywords: Manosphere; Masculinity; Male psychology; Incels; Digital communities; Online communities
• Public URL: https://rgu-repository.worktribe.com/output/2002309
• Additional Information: Abstract published as:; SMITH, D. 2023. They didn't think I could be that person online. But I was: a journey in and out of inceldom. European journal of psychology open [online], 82(Supp 1): abstracts and programme book of the 18th European Congress of Psychology, 3-6 July 2023, Brighton, UK, paper number 853. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1024/2673-8627/a000043