MILITARY SERVICE AS AN EXTREME CAREER PATH

To date, a majority of research on extremism has focused on the negative aspects of extremism and little work has investigated altruistic forms of extremism. The distinction between negative and altruistic extremism is subjective and is shaped by a person’s value system. As a result, two studies examined the extent to which service in the United States military is an altruistically extreme career path. The first study found little evidence that patriotic narratives increase the likelihood to join the military or support pro-military organizations. The next study, found that students in Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) have stronger views of the military as a source of significance compared to traditional students. However, there was sparse evidence that significance loss led to more extreme behaviors for both ROTC and traditional students. Theoretical and practical implications of the research on altruistic forms of extremism will be discussed