Identity Through Violence: Collective Integration and Symbolic Self-Completion Across Extremist, Cartel, and Non-Ideological Mass Violence

Authors

• Amanda N. Moeller, University of Nebraska at OmahaFollow
• Abi K. Leyden, University of Nebraska at Omaha
• Isaac J. Moelter, University of Nebraska at Omaha
• Erin Johnson, University of Nebraska at Omaha
• Gina Scott Ligon, University of Nebraska at OmahaFollow
• Samuel Hunter, University of Nebraska at OmahaFollow

Document Type

Report

Publication Date

10-2026

Abstract

Formal organizational membership alone can obscure perpetrators’ connections to broader violent communities. Drawing on Symbolic Self-Completion Theory, we examine how collective integration relates to the ways attacks communicate identity, affiliation, and meaning. We analyzed 102 mass violence incidents spanning U.S. domestic violent extremism, foreign and foreign-inspired terrorism in the United States, non-ideological mass violence in the United States, and cartel violence in Mexico. Our framework distinguishes five levels of integration, from no documented collective connection to formal membership. Incidents involving any collective connection contained more symbolic content and used more communicative channels than those without one. Loosely integrated perpetrators incorporated more symbolic content than formal members, although they did not use significantly more channels. Exploratory analyses identified four recurring profiles of symbolic communication. Together, these findings offer analysts a more nuanced framework for interpreting attacks in decentralized violent ecosystems.

Recommended Citation

Moeller, Amanda N.; Leyden, Abi K.; Moelter, Isaac J.; Johnson, Erin; Ligon, Gina Scott; and Hunter, Samuel, "Identity Through Violence: Collective Integration and Symbolic Self-Completion Across Extremist, Cartel, and Non-Ideological Mass Violence" (2026). Reports, Projects, and Research. 183.
https://digitalcommons.unomaha.edu/ncitereportsresearch/183