Intention Framing Fuels Violence

Framing an actor as having hostile intent — regardless of evidence — changes observers’ subjective expectations and can make defensive or preemptive violence more likely. Repeated public claims about another group's malicious intentions operate like stochastic terrorism: they lower thresholds for violence by converting perception into justification. — If accepted, this idea shifts responsibility for escalation from only attackers to the rhetorical actors (media, politicians, influencers) who frame intentions, suggesting new levers for prevention (message norms, de‑escalatory journalism, platform rules).