The Manosphere & Online Radicalization of Gen-Z Men
PiVoT Peace Lab and Mindbridge’s Countering Extremism Directive are designing a study of how young men interpret masculinity, power and belonging in relation to extremist radicalization. We are seeking support to carry it out.
An active partnership, with the research still to be funded
Mindbridge and PiVoT are already working together on public education and research design. The full study has not yet been funded.
Co-designing the research
The two teams are developing a mixed-methods research design intended to be methodologically rigorous and contextually grounded.
Joint public event
Who Becomes an Extremist? Gender, Identity, and the Psychology of Radicalization, hosted by PiVoT on November 17, 2026.
Article for Mindbridge’s Substack
PiVoT’s Daniel Rothbart, Randy Lioz and student member Grayson Cole Tibbett have submitted How to Polarize and Depolarize America, on how polarization works and how depolarization efforts fit together.
Funding for the study
No funding has been secured for the full research project. Support would allow the study to move forward.
Who Becomes an Extremist? Gender, Identity, and the Psychology of Radicalization
November 17, 2026, 1:00–2:30 PM ET. Hosted by the PiVoT Peace Lab with Mindbridge.
Two research presentations
Mindbridge’s Countering Extremism Directive presents two research talks: Women of the Far Right (qualitative, interview-based) and The Manosphere (quantitative), both framed by Significance Quest Theory.
A bridging discussion
Led by Mindbridge and PiVoT. Participants reflect on extremism in everyday life, learn tools for bridging divides, and discuss in small groups how to respond safely to interpersonal situations.
What participants take away
- A science-based overview of extremism and how it presents
- Historical differences in how extremism shows up across genders
- Psychological and emotional drivers of extremist behavior
- Ways to stay connected to both organizations’ networks
The research talks are presented by Mindbridge. The PiVoT–Mindbridge study described below is a proposed project that has not yet been funded.
Narratives of Significance Loss and Power
The proposed study would explore how Gen-Z men in the U.S. (born 1997–2012) interpret masculinity, power and belonging in relation to extremist radicalization. It builds on earlier Mindbridge research on the radicalization of women in the United States, and is intended to inform peacebuilding, prevention and deradicalization strategies.
Understand vulnerability
Examine how personal experiences of humiliation, insecurity or rejection, together with social dynamics, can make young men receptive to extremist narratives, with the manosphere as an entry point to far-right domestic extremism.
Shift the paradigm
Move past the “lone wolf” framing and treat domestic extremism as a systemic issue shaped by social and cultural structures, including its digital forms.
Build a shared design
Co-develop a mixed-methods design that contributes to peacebuilding, social psychology and counterextremism.
Meaning and belonging
The study would test how psychological needs for meaning and belonging are exploited in the manosphere, and whether those needs can be redirected toward prosocial engagement.
Significance Quest Theory
Kruglanski et al. (2022). People are motivated to matter; loss of significance can make extremist narratives appealing.
Social identity theory
Tajfel & Turner (1979). Group membership shapes identity, belonging and attitudes toward outgroups.
Who is involved
Mindbridge · Countering Extremism Directive
Brings earlier research on extremism and radicalization, including its study of women’s radicalization in the United States.
PiVoT Peace Lab
George Mason University’s Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution; a research and practice lab on polarization and political violence.
Help carry this study forward
We welcome conversations with funders and organizations interested in preventing online radicalization among young men.