Violent radicalization continues to be a global problem. One of the main proposals for understanding radicalization and support for political violence is based on social alienation as a trigger. That is, individuals who feel alienated from society try to get out of this situation by using violence, if necessary. However, social alienation alone is not enough to explain radicalization. Therefore, we propose that social alienation interacts with other factors to foster radicalization. Particularly, we propose that obsessive passion, an internal compulsion that leads a person to engage in an activity even when they should not, is one of the interacting factors. Following previous literature, we hypothesized that higher social alienation predicts support for political violence to a greater extent the higher the obsessive passion. To test this hypothesis, we performed two studies in which the cause of passion varied (religion: N = 652 and family: N = 873). Both studies assessed social alienation, harmonious and obsessive passion, and support for political violence. The results showed a significant increase in the effect of social alienation on support for political violence when obsessive passion was higher, even controlling by harmonious passion. These results highlight the importance of considering other variables related to social alienation that could facilitate radicalization processes, particularly maintaining an obsessive passion for a cause when one feels a social disconnection. The theoretical and practical implications of these results are discussed given their contributions to prevention based on work on feelings of social disconnection and harmonization of causes.
The 3N model of radicalization proposes that violent radicalization is the result of the contribution of needs, networks, and narratives. Although research has mainly been supportive of this perspective, a substantial amount of ground remains uncovered regarding the network component of the model. Within this framework, we examine why individuals living in certain social environments tend to harbor more positive attitudes toward homegrown terrorism than others. Building on prior research, we hypothesized that individuals living in social environments known to be vulnerable (vs. less vulnerable) are more likely to experience a sense of significance loss (i.e., lack of social integration, perceived conflicts between religious groups), find solace in religious social networks (i.e., mosques), and thus adhere to radical narratives (i.e., legitimization of terrorism). A study with 365 young Muslims from different cities in Spain (Almería, Barcelona, Ceuta, and Melilla)supported these predictions. Theoretical and practical implications for the study of violent extremism are discussed.
This paper aims to study the process of violent radicalization in El Puche, a marginal neighborhood of Spain with a high percentage of disenfranchised Muslims. Particularly, we explore whether this neighborhood exhibits the factors proposed by the 3N model of radicalization: needs, networks, and narratives. We present two studies in which we analyze these factors. In the first study, we compare needs and networks between Muslims (N = 47) and Christians (N = 45). In the second study, we analyze the interrelation of these factors in a sample of Muslims (N = 111). We found that people’s association with radical networks mediates the relationship between the quest for significance and radical narratives. We conclude that need, network, and narrative are interconnected, and illustrate some of the dynamics that foster social exclusion and radicalization, leading to supporting violence in this type of urban environments.
Groups of psychological abuse (GPA), organizations popularly known as "cults," are a well-documented social and public health problem that directly affect 1% of the global population. However, there are few studies that consider the process of cult conversion from the perspective of outgroup family members. This study aims to illuminate the process of cult recruitment, conversion, and disengagement, and analyze the experiences, perceptions, and needs of cultists' families. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected from 100 relatives of cult members in 15 different countries, with two-thirds of the respondents from Spain and the United States. Analyses revealed that warning signs, vulnerability factors, and motivational elements were key drivers for understanding the process of cult recruitment and participation. Moreover, results indicated that cult conversion of an individual has measurable mental health and well-being consequences for their relatives, as family members are often left legally helpless and without access to specialized psychological support. Collectively, these findings have implications for the prevention of cult conversion and clinical and psychosocial intervention. We conclude by discussing the results in the context of the current state of research, and by emphasizing the need to bring visibility to this social and public health challenge.
One of the major challenges facing humanity is understanding the psychosocial mechanisms that underlie radicalization in order to effectively deal with its shift towards violent extremism and terrorism. From a scientific standpoint, there have been major theoretical-conceptual and technical-methodological advances which have led to the development of a significant corpus of evidence-based knowledge on these topics. Nowadays, the challenge posed by coping with radicalization into violent extremism is shifting the priority to preventive approaches geared at improving professional practice and proactive decision-making. This monograph takes stock of the current state of the issue and contains four empirical studies grounded in social psychology in an effort to shed light on some current lines of research and their potential applications in the field of security.
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