Life of An Incel’
A thematic Analysis of Narrative Interviews With Incels
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12546148 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Nanna Nibe Boldt (0009-0008-4756-3448, Aalborg University, corresponding author), Niclas Burgdorff (0009-0001-2785-8934, Aalborg University), Peter Clement Lund (0000-0002-9851-0003, Aalborg University) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Publication date | 2025-12-29 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Culture & Psychology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1354-067X • E-ISSN: 1461-7056 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/1354067x251411494 |
| OpenAlex | W7117552246 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 30 |
This pilot study seeks to investigate involuntarily celibates (incels) in the theoretical framework of dialogical self-theory by examining the social- and psychological mechanisms that might enable the decision of young men to identify with the incel-worldview and subsequently be retained in the incel-identity. We focus on the group of moderate incels that run counter to the common conceptualization of incels as misogynistic extremists. This is essential as most of the incel-related research focuses on the minority of extreme members of the online community. In addition, the current literature on moderate incels, is limited and deficient. Using narrative interviews with incels, we aim to address this gap and provide more qualitative data to the field. We identify themes as a foundation for a narratively oriented thematic analysis from which our key finding indicates a pattern among the interviewees of incorporating other incels’ stories into their own narratives, resulting in what we have termed an ‘ultimate I-position’ which maintains the informants in their incel identity. Finally, we discuss how an increasingly interwoven world contributes to the birth of these communities and its cultures and how additional qualitative inquiry is needed to investigate the life experiences of incels and its online communities
Conceptualization · Dialogical self · Focus group · Narrative · Narrative inquiry · Qualitative analysis · Qualitative research · Thematic analysis · Gender, Feminism, and Media · Hate Speech and Cyberbullying Detection · Terrorism, Counterterrorism, and Political Violence
An Exploration of the Involuntary Celibate (Incel) Subculture Online
The Evolution of the Manosphere across the Web
Incels online reframing sexual violence
Precarious Manhood Predicts Support for Aggressive Policies and Politicians
Online hatred of women in the Incels.me forum
‘I want that power back’
Involuntary Celibates’ Experiences of and Grievance over Sexual Exclusion and the Potential Threat of Violence Among Those Active in an Online Incel Forum
Stacys, Beckys, and Chads
Masculinity Threat, “Incel” Traits, and Violent Fantasies Among Heterosexual Men in the United States
How do I become blue pilled?’
Using internet video calls in qualitative (longitudinal) interviews
A Short Story of a Lonely Guy”
Failure to thrive
Incel Violence and Victimhood
I Think Most of Society Hates Us”
Using thematic analysis in psychology
Precarious manhood
From "Incel" to "Saint
I'm Okay, You're Okay
Transnational online research
The Dialogical Self
The Black Pill
Alphas, Betas, and Incels
Weaponized Subordination
Hegemonic Masculinity
| Highly cited | No |
|---|