Political violence is the use of force or intimidation to achieve a political goal, from attacks on officials and election workers to riots and terrorism. Each high-profile attack raises the same questions: how many people actually support this, what drives it, and how do the rest of us cope? This guide looks at the psychology behind political violence, what research says about public support for it, and practical ways to lower the temperature in your own life.
It builds on our earlier posts about online outrage, politics in relationships, well-being in a polarized world, and election anxiety.
Understanding and Addressing the Effects of Political Violence: A Psychological Perspective
Political violence can be carried out by states, through war, forced disappearances, or torture, or by non-state actors, through assassinations, kidnappings, and terrorist attacks. Its harm spreads well beyond its direct targets. A review of research on political violence and health links it to PTSD, depression, and anxiety, and notes that strong social and political ties offer people considerable protection.
Understanding the psychological roots of political violence isn’t just an academic exercise. It helps communities heal, helps individuals cope, and points to ways of lowering the risk of future harm.
How Many Americans Support Political Violence?
Headlines often suggest that support for political violence is widespread. The research is more mixed, and the details matter.
Other researchers urge caution about numbers like these. One influential analysis (which has since published a correction) found that earlier surveys overstated support because some respondents answer carelessly and because vague questions about “violence” in general draw more agreement than questions about specific violent acts. Asked about specific acts, far fewer people endorse them. A 2022 book by two political scientists takes the other side, arguing that violent partisan hostility is a real and serious minority view.
Both things can be true: most Americans reject political violence, and a meaningful minority is open to it. Who that minority is, and why, is where psychology comes in.
Root Causes of Political Violence
Feelings of injustice, threats to identity, and the ways people distance themselves from the consequences of harm all play a part. So can mental health, under specific conditions.
When we feel the world isn’t fair
A deep sense of unfairness, built from experiences of poverty, corruption, or exclusion, can push people toward increasingly aggressive political action, especially when peaceful channels seem closed. Transparent decision-making and safe ways for people to voice grievances help counter it.
When our identity feels under threat
The 1994 Rwandan genocide shows the devastating consequences when groups come to believe their very identity is at risk, and how fear can be manipulated to turn neighbors against each other. What feels threatening varies across cultures, which makes understanding a group’s own perspective essential.
How we justify harmful actions
In times of political unrest, people can come to justify violence against those they see as opponents, especially once propaganda paints the other side as less than human, as it did in the lead-up to the Yugoslav Wars. Actively seeking out shared experiences with people who seem different is one of the best defenses against dehumanization.
Depression, conspiracy beliefs, and the urge to act
Mental health matters here in a specific way. In a national panel survey conducted around the 2020 election, depressive symptoms were linked to more support for election violence and the January 6 Capitol riot, but only among people who also held conspiracy beliefs or had a strong urge to get politically involved, and the link was strongest in men. Among people with depression who had neither, support was lower, consistent with depression’s usual tendency to pull people away from action.
Group Dynamics in Escalating Tensions
Group processes can push ordinary people toward views and actions they would reject on their own.
The power of group polarization
Talking mainly with like-minded people tends to push views toward the extreme. This group polarization can increase anger toward opposing groups and reduce willingness to engage in constructive dialogue, a process visible in the echo chambers of American politics.
The pressure to conform
Strong conformity pressure within a group can shift attitudes toward violence. People who would normally reject harm may go along with group norms that justify it.
Losing ourselves in the crowd
In large gatherings, people can experience deindividuation, a loss of self-awareness and individual accountability that lowers inhibitions. If you attend large political events, it helps to check in with your own values and stay mindful of your individual responsibility.
The role of leaders
Leaders who demonize opponents or encourage aggression can escalate tensions, and research on populism suggests antagonistic leaders can gain support during periods of social and economic instability. Leaders who emphasize shared values and reconciliation, as Nelson Mandela did in post-apartheid South Africa, can help societies heal.
When issues become moral imperatives
When political issues are framed in moral terms, they become bound up with people’s values and identities, making compromise harder and extreme action easier to justify. Moral conviction can also fuel peaceful change, as the Civil Rights Movement showed, especially when issues are framed around universal values like human dignity.
Political stress taking a toll?
Our DC therapists offer a nonjudgmental space to work through anxiety, anger, and conflict tied to politics, whatever your views.
Collective Trauma and Political Behavior
Shared traumatic experiences, from pandemics and natural disasters to economic crises and conflict, can reshape political attitudes. Collective traumas create shared experiences of loss and uncertainty that change how people see their institutions and leaders.
Anxiety during these periods can make people more receptive to messages that promise security, even exclusionary ones. Collective stress also increases the urge to find someone to blame, which can lead to scapegoating of minority groups or political opponents. Creating spaces where people can voice fear and frustration constructively helps keep those feelings from landing on a scapegoat.
Media, Social Media, and Political Polarization
Media and social media can both inform and inflame political tensions.
Echo chambers and emotionally charged content
Algorithms tend to show us content that matches our existing views, and emotionally charged posts, especially rage bait, spread faster than nuanced ones. The result can be a distorted picture of the other side and quicker, angrier reactions.
Some clients notice that a steady diet of inflammatory political content leaves them more anxious and angry than the news itself would explain, and that the feeling follows them into their relationships offline.
Misinformation and conspiracy theories
Online misinformation and conspiracy theories can fuel tensions and, in extreme cases, real-world violence. In 2016, the “Pizzagate” conspiracy theory led an armed man to enter a Washington, DC, restaurant. Media literacy (checking sources, fact-checking claims, and recognizing bias) is one of the most practical defenses.
De-escalation Techniques for Political Conflict
Techniques from conflict resolution and psychology can help individuals and communities navigate tense moments.
Active listening and empathy-building
Active listening means truly hearing the concerns of people you disagree with. In political conversations, try to listen more than you speak, and ask questions to understand before you counter.
With couples who disagree politically, a simple exercise often helps: each partner listens without interrupting, then summarizes what they heard before responding. It can surface shared values underneath the surface-level disagreement.
Cognitive reframing and naming emotions
Reframing means looking for other ways to interpret a situation. The next time a political issue makes you angry, try to identify three different interpretations of what happened. It also helps to name what you’re feeling (angry, scared, frustrated) before you respond.
Finding common ground
Identifying shared values or goals, even amid deep disagreement, creates a foundation for dialogue. The Good Friday Agreement in Northern Ireland succeeded in part because negotiators focused on shared desires for peace and prosperity. Locally, working with people from different political backgrounds on non-partisan community issues can help humanize “opponents.”
Healing and Reconciliation in Divided Communities
Healing after political violence takes acknowledgment, contact, and time.
- Acknowledging harm: Truth and reconciliation commissions, like South Africa’s after apartheid, show how officially acknowledging past wrongs can be a first step in national healing.
- Intergroup contact: Positive, sustained contact between members of different groups can reduce prejudice. Programs like Seeds of Peace, which bring together young people from conflict regions, show how relationships can form across deep divides.
- Building resilience: Education in critical thinking, media literacy, and conflict resolution helps communities withstand future conflict. Individually, regular self-reflection about your own biases builds the same muscle.
Coping When Political Violence Is in the News
After a high-profile attack, it’s natural to want to follow every development. But heavy exposure has costs: after the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings, people who spent six or more hours a day on bombing-related media reported more acute stress than people who were at the bombings. Set limits on coverage, especially graphic video, and check in with people you trust.
Seeking Support and Professional Help
The stress of political tensions can take a real toll on mental health. If political events are causing you persistent distress, affecting your relationships, or interfering with daily life, it may be time to seek support. We offer a nonjudgmental space to explore your experiences of the political climate, regardless of your political beliefs or affiliations.
The bottom line: most Americans reject political violence, and the psychology behind it (grievance, threatened identity, group pressure, and dehumanization) also points to what helps: contact, listening, limits on inflammatory media, and support for people under strain.
If you’re in DC, you can see our therapists or get in touch. The first appointment is a full therapy session, not a screening call.
Steady ground in a tense political climate
Our DC therapists help with political anxiety, anger, and the strain it puts on relationships, whatever your politics.
Last updated: October 2026
This blog is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical or mental health advice. Always consult with a qualified mental health professional for personalized guidance regarding your specific situation.