The “Alt-White”: Psychological Underpinnings and Consequences of Toxic White Identity

This symposium explores the psychology underlying toxic forms of White identity that promote racial pride, entitlement, and foment fear of status loss and disenfranchisement. Beliefs like racial entitlement, group-based nostalgia, status loss and system threat in turn predict support for xenophobic ideologies like White nationalism, extremist policies, and political violence.