New book highlights common pathways in and out of inceldom

Dr David S. Smith’s research shines a light on a phenomenon which is gripping many young men as they make their way through life in the 21st Century in The Incel Mindset: Entering and Exiting Inceldom. 

Incels (short for involuntary celibates) believe that a combination of feminist social engineering and their own bad genetic inheritance has left them unable to attract women at all. In short, they consider themselves to be scientifically unlovable; a mindset associated with resentment, suicidal ideation and misogyny. In some circumstances, inceldom has been associated with harassment, stalking and, in rare cases, mass murder.

Drawing on the latest literature and his experiences engaging with former incels, Dr Smith focuses on how cognitive distortions, group psychology processes, structural inequalities, rigid understandings of masculinity and digital cultures shape men’s experiences of romantic exclusion. His goal is to understand why young men are readily joining a community that tells them their life cannot get any better, and, crucially, how to help them out of it.

Dr Smith said: “As we deal with a decline in living standards and cuts to services, online misogyny is an increasing problem among young men. As the gap between what young men think they need to be and their present circumstances grows, and their mental health declines, they appear to become more vulnerable to inceldom’s fatalistic messaging that nothing can change.

“Importantly, people leave this community all the time. To my knowledge, my book is the first to follow people’s full journeys in and out in-depth. It was important to me that my research highlight possible interventions rather than validate incels’ belief that they are lost causes. Throughout, I explore the potential for ideological change, transformational dialogue and self-growth.”

The incel community has recently become part of the public consciousness thanks to the globally successful Netflix series Adolescence, and the new publication uses extensive interviews with former incels and detailed analysis of online forums to shed light into its darkest corners.

It also explores how, for some, incel ideology and its associated members create a sense of belonging, how short-term relief can lead to a downward spiral, and, crucially, it explicitly sets out detailed insights for prevention and intervention. 

Dr Smith has written extensively on the incel community, and his work has featured in academic journals and mainstream publications.  His full works can be found here.

The Incel Mindset: Entering and Exiting Inceldom is out now.