APS
2026 APS Annual Convention
The Psychology of Harmful Speech: From Interpersonal Conflict to Political Violence
Harmful speech follows identifiable patterns across contexts. Divisive “us-vs-them” rhetoric predicts violence, misplaced certainty fuels interpersonal aggression, and political falsehoods spark conflict and support for violence. Yet targeted psychological inoculation, here against deepfakes, strengthens resistance. Together, these findings reveal shared mechanisms of escalating conflict and promising avenues for societal resilience.
Chairs & Discussants
- Gabriele OettingenChair
New York University - Anton GollwitzerCoChair
BI Norwegian Business School, Oslo - Anton GollwitzerCoChair
Max Plank Institute for Human Development
Presentations
- Rhetorical Features from Social Media Predict Real-World Violent Outcomes of ManifestosStephan Lewandowsky, Louis Teitelbaum, Emily Saltz, Almog Simchon
- The Interpersonal Costs of Misplaced Certainty SunYoung Kim, Gabriele Oettingen, Anton Gollwitzer
- When Leaders Treat Fiction As Fact: How Political Falsehoods Fuel ViolenceAnton Gollwitzer, Yooeun Jeong, Gabriele Oettingen
- Psychological Inoculation Against DeepfakesSander van der Linden, Liana Cheetham, Kelly Wong
