The Incel Movement

XiangHao Huang
John Jay College
PSY 425
 History of Incels
❖ Involuntary Celibacy as a term emerged in 1993 as part of Alana’s
Involuntary Celibacy Project
❖ It’s original goal was to be a support group for people who desired but
could not attain a romantic relationship.
❖ The website was eventually given to a stranger
❖ The term grew and became convoluted and attracted misogynistic men
and it grew into what we know of it today
 Overview of Incels
❖ Incels are part of the manosphere, a collection of websites, communities
and groups that promote masculinity, misogyny, and oppose feminism
❖ Incel core themes are, the dehumanization of women, the red and black
pil, and their social hierarchy
❖ They are primarily composed of young, heterosexual, men in their late
teens to early 20s, their presence are primarily in North America and
Europe.
❖ There is no clear method to becoming an incel.
 Incel Ideology
❖ Incels believe that women are irrational ❖ Subscribes to the “red pill” conspiracy
creatures that only follow their theory like many other manosphere
biological instinct to seek sexual groups
satisfaction ❖ “Red pill” is to believe that the world
❖ Believes that all women are sociopathic has given women too much power, and
❖ Believe themselves to be victims of men have become the true victims of
women’s malicious nature and wish to gender oppression
strip women of their rights ❖ The concept is taken from The Matrix,
❖ Wants women to be contained by the where taking the red pill is to see the
government and be forced to serve as world as it truly is
state-mandated girlfriends
 Incel Ideology
❖ Believes attractiveness to be the single ❖ The “black pill” is to acknowledge that
standard in the social hierarchy they have no hope of developing a
❖ One’s place in the social hierarchy relationship due to their placement,
cannot be changed taking the “black pill” is to become
❖ Incels acknowledge themselves to be hopeless
the bottom of the hierarchy ❖ The “black pill” theory promotes
❖ Believes themselves physically inferior violence, one can take the black pill
but has a superiority complex, thinks and become hopeless, or rise up against
of themselves as the only people start society to change it, often attempted
enough to see the truth of the world through committing mass murder
(Red Pill)
The 2014 Isla Vista killings
❖ On May 23, 2014, The 22-year old
Elliot Rodgers killed 6 people and
injured 14 others in Isla Vista by
gunshot, stabbing, and motor vehicle
ramming
❖ Committed suicide before the police
could catch him
❖ One of the earliest acts of incel
perpetrated mass murder
❖ Uploaded a video detailing his plan for
retribution and motives beforehand
The 2014 Isla Vista killings
❖ States in his video, “I don’t know why you girls aren’t attracted to me, but I will punish you
all for it.”
❖ Wishes to punish women for rejecting him and to punish sexually active men as he envied
them
❖ In a separate document that included his manifesto, he expresses that white people are the
superior race, any other race are ugly and inferior
❖ Following this incident, Elliot Rodger was heralded as the saint and true progenitor of incels,
his crimes were glorified and celebrated
❖ Many incel perpetrated mass murders that came after would reference Elliot Rodger as their
inspiration
 Psychological Aspects
❖ Theories such as the theory of Hybrid Masculinities, Hegemonic Masculinities, and the
Significance Quest theory, can help to explain incel ideology

Hegemonic Masculinities Hybrid Masculinity

Traits that are associated with dominant Masculine traits that appear to subvert but actually
men that reinforce men’s dominance in reinforce hegemonic masculinity
society. Adherence to Hegemonic Made up of three components, discursive
Masculinity is associated with distancing, strategic borrowing, and fortifying
committing gender-based violence boundaries
 Hybrid Masculinity

❖ Discursive Distancing ❖ Strategic Borrowing ❖ Fortifying boundaries

Men claim to distance themselves The appropriation or comparison to The continued use of hegemonic
from masculinity roles without cultures or language of a marginalized masculinity standards to constrain
giving up patriarchal power group to appear diminished in social the concept of masculinity and to
associated with those roles power shun men who do not adhere to it

Ex. Incels self-deprecate and refer to Ex. Incels taking the pill analogy from The Ex. Incel claim to be oppressed by
themselves as inferior. Matrix, comparing and claiming they are women yet continue to treat women
more oppressed than marginalized groups. as inferior and weak. Ridicules
outgroup men for experiences that
are accepted in the incel community
 Hybrid Masculinity
The three components work in tandem to feign a distinction from hegemonic masculinity,
discursive distancing and strategic borrowing work to create the distinction while
fortifying boundaries reinforce hegemonic masculinity. Ensuring Incels still followed
hegemonic masculinity in a roundabout way.
 Significance Quest theory
❖ A radicalization theory, the quest for significance is the fundamental desire to matter, to be
someone, to have respect
➢ Three aspects to the radicalization process, the activation of the quest, belief system
that identifies the means to that quest, and the social process where the individual
comes into contact with the narrative (respectively, need, narrative, network)
 Significance Quest theory
❖ The quest for significance can be activated through losing, preserving, or an opportunity of
gaining significance
❖ Incels have the need for significance from their perceived oppression (losing
significance)(Need)
❖ Incel forums glorify and encourage violence as a means of retaliating against oppression
(Narrative)
❖ The incel forums act as the network of people who subscribe to the narrative lead the
individual to believe the narrative is accessible and acceptable (Network)
❖ The three become drives for violent extremism
 Resources
Megan, K., DiBranco, A., & DeCook, J. (n.d.). Misogynist incels and male supremacism. New America. Retrieved December 7, 2021, from
https://www.newamerica.org/political-reform/reports/misogynist-incels-and-male-supremacism/history/.

Taylor, J. (2018, August 29). The woman who founded the 'incel' movement. BBC News. Retrieved December 7, 2021, from
https://www.bb.com/news/world-us-canada-45284455.

Charlie Tye. (2021, August 24). Inside the warped world of incel extremists. The Conversation. Retrieved December 7, 2021, from
https://theconversation.com/inside-the-warped-world-of-incel-extremists-166142.

Hauser, C. (2017, November 9). Reddit bans 'incel' group for inciting violence against women. The New York Times. Retrieved December 7, 2021, from
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/09/technology/incels-reddit-banned.html.

Cable News Network. (2014, May 28). Transcript of video linked to Santa Barbara Mass Shooting. CNN. Retrieved December 7, 2021, from
https://edition.cnn.com/2014/05/24/us/elliot-rodger-video-transcript/index.html.

Los Angeles Times. (2014, May 24). Isla Vista shooting: 3 bodies removed from alleged gunman's apartment. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 7,
2021, from https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-isla-vista-shooting-bodies20140524-story.html.

Connell, R. W. (2005). Masculinities(2nd ed.). University of California Press.

Glace, A. M., Dover, T. L., & Zatkin, J. G. (2021). Taking the black pill: An empirical analysis of the “Incel.” Psychology of Men & Masculinities, 22(2),
288–297. https://doi-org.ez.lib.jjay.cuny.edu/10.1037/men0000328

Kruglanski, A. W., Gelfand, M. J., Bélanger, J. J., Sheveland, A., Hetiarachchi, M., & Gunaratna, R. (2014). The psychology of radicalization and
deradicalization: How significance quest impacts violent extremism. Political Psychology, 35, 69–93. https://doi.org/10.1111/pops.12163

Kruglanski, A., Jasko, K., Webber, D., Chernikova, M., & Molinario, E. (2018). The Making of Violent Extremists. Review of General Psychology, 22(1),
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