Involuntary celibates or “incels” are a group of men who have built an identity around their perceived rejection and exclusion from sex and relationships. Due to their misogynistic and antagonist online rhetoric, and association with recent acts of violence (e.g., mass shootings), there is growing concern about the danger incels pose to themselves and society.
Research on incels is scarce, meaning that discussion of their beliefs and behaviors are often exaggerated and inaccurate. Dr. Thomas is one of the world leaders in incel research, having conduced some of the largest work on this community. He and his team have found that, compared to non-incel single men, incels have worse mental health outcomes (depression, anxiety, self-esteem) and a level of hopelessness that likely drives their extreme views.
In the first workshop of its kind, Dr. Thomas will give an overview of (i) the incel community, including their background and beliefs and (ii) the evolutionary psychological research that incels misconstrue as the basis of their beliefs. Then, using brand new data from qualitative interviews with incels about their experience with mental health services, he will (iii) outline some of the barriers to forming a working alliance and therapeutic relationship as experienced by incels and (iv) give advice for clinicians on what to expect from and how to work with this hard-to-reach group.
This workshop will also be useful for those working with young men on the “path” to inceldom, who might be developing similar beliefs but do not yet consider themselves part of the incel community (e.g., those who are “incel adjacent”).
Dr. Andrew G. Thomas is a Researcher, training consultant, and therapist from the United Kingdom. He is currently a Senior Lecturer in the School of Psychology at Swansea University and an internationally recognized expert in sex differences, mating psychology, and relationships. His work has been published in some of the top journals in evolutionary psychology, sexology, and personality. Dr. Thomas is an integrative psychotherapist, registered with the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP). He also runs a successful blog on Psychology Today called Darwin Does Dating where he uses an evolutionary lens to explore the mysteries behind finding and maintaining relationships. Dr. Thomas has quickly become a leading expert on the incel community and has recently completed the largest study on incels to date as funded by the UK Government.