Throughout the course of today, many people will have been made aware of the incel movement, after the horrific violence meted out by 22-year-old Plymouth gunman Jake Davison.
Incels are misogynistic individuals who converge over what they describe as ‘involuntary celibacy’ - when they are 'denied' sex they feel entitled to.
They blame women for their lack of sexual activity in adulthood, believing that women prefer “chads” - men with athletic physiques and a strong jawline - over them.
It appears that incels are jealous of men they believe are ‘chads’ and blame them - along with the women they sleep with - for their own loneliness.
Their jealously manifests in behaviours such as trying to humiliate women on public forums. Ultimately, they want to punish all women for what they perceive as being rejected by all women.
They may feel as though they've been humiliated by women through rejection and therefore seek out a way to humiliate them in return. It's an attempt to make these women feel the same way they do.
It’s this form of retribution that provides the men with a feeling of satisfaction, a way of regaining some power over women because they are used to experiencing a dynamic where women hold the power by rejecting them.
There is a significant amount of anger aimed at women among incels. The origin of this anger is likely to be deep-rooted. It may relate to dysfunctional relationships with women and their primary caregivers in childhood, whether this be with their mother, sister or teacher, for example.
This anger, which may be accompanied by low self-esteem and feelings of low self-worth, in combination with their attitudes towards women, is likely to perpetuate the ongoing rejection felt by these men.
Although some of this rejection will be realistic because rejection is a normal part of life, some of it will be imagined.
Due to the existing psychological vulnerabilities, the pain of this rejection will be amplified and as such will be much more intense than for someone who is considered as psychologically healthy.
What certainly seems clear is that those who are part of the incel movement are painfully lonely. That is what makes this movement incredibly dangerous, because when people are lonely they seek comfort by surrounding themselves with like-minded people
These groups act mainly through social media platforms and it’s possible that their anger is accentuated by constant access to social media, which encourages unhealthy and unrealistic comparisons of idealistic images.
Of course, not all those who identify themselves as incels will resort to violent crimes. There are a number of contributing factors as to why someone may resort to violent crime.
These include repeated rejections or perceived rejections that trigger painful childhood memories; a lack of positive roles models and a limited social group; finding solace in social groups that reinforce and perpetuate their belief systems; dysfunctional and abusive familial relationships with primary caregivers in childhood; comorbid mental health issues and even substance misuse.
There is rarely one factor alone that will result in serious and violent crime being committed, but rather a series of incidents which can eventually result in intolerable rage.
*Charlotte Armitage is a psychologist and psychotherapist. Additional comments from Dr Qadri, Consultant Forensic Psychiatrist at Cast Care Clinic LTD
