Promoting Exit from Violent Extremism: Themes and Approaches

Dalgaard‐Nielsen, Anja

doi:10.1080/1057610x.2013.747073

Cited by 42 publications

(35 citation statements)

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“…Critically, however, as the source had rather strong ties to the group planning the attack, he or she was not willing to reveal the information in full (Oleszkiewicz, ). This information management dilemma is backed up by research examining individuals on their way leaving violent extremist groups (Dalgaard‐Nielsen, ) and studies on insider spies (Herbig, ), showing that the incentive to be semicooperative with respect to sharing information is commonly linked to divided loyalties. Furthermore, evaluating human intelligence gathering techniques required developing novel measures of efficacy (Granhag, Oleszkiewicz, & Kleinman, ; Oleszkiewicz, ), capturing the objective outcomes of the interview (e.g., the amount of information that advances the interviewer's understanding of the case), as well as the source's subjective perceptions of the interaction (e.g., reading what information the interviewer was after).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Eliciting information from human sources: Training handlers in the Scharff technique

Oleszkiewicz

Granhag

Kleinman

2017

Legal Criminol Psychol

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Purpose In previous laboratory‐based work, the Scharff technique has proved successful for gathering intelligence from human sources. However, little is known about whether the technique can be taught to practitioners, and whether Scharff‐trained practitioners will interview more effectively than colleagues using their conventional approaches and tactics. Method We examined professional handlers from the Norwegian Police (n = 64), all experienced in interacting with informants. Half received training in the Scharff technique, and their performance was compared against handlers receiving no Scharff training and free to use the approaches they saw fit. All handlers received the same case file describing a source holding information about a future terrorist attack and were given the same interview objectives. Police trainees (n = 64) took on the role of semicooperative sources and were given incomplete information about the attack. Results The trained handlers adhered to the Scharff training as they (1) aimed to establish the illusion of ‘knowing‐it‐all’, (2) posed claims to collect information, and (3) asked few (if any) explicit questions. In contrast, the untrained handlers tried to evoke the sources’ motivation to reveal information and asked a high number of explicit questions. Scharff‐trained handlers were perceived as less eager to gather information, but collected comparatively more new information. Conclusions The Scharff‐trained interviewers utilized more specific elicitation tactics (e.g., posing claims) and fewer general interview strategies (e.g., evoking motivation), and they collected comparatively more new information. This captures the essence of the Scharff technique: It is subtle, yet effective.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Eliciting information from human sources: Training handlers in the Scharff technique

Oleszkiewicz

Granhag

Kleinman

2017

Legal Criminol Psychol

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“…Indeed, a large body of research on resistance (Sarnoff & Katz, ) and psychological reactance (Brehm, ) has shown that when people are confronted with unsolicited efforts from others to change their attitudes, they often try to reestablish their lost or threatened sense of freedom by adopting opinions that oppose the one pushed onto them (Pennebaker & Sanders, ). In the case of dissuading someone from using political violence, this can be extremely hazardous, as these attempts can backfire and elicit even more destructive behaviors (Dalgaard‐Nielsen, ). This leads to the question of how psychological reactance can be avoided to prevent these unwanted outcomes.…”

Section: Changing Attitudes and Behaviors With Alternative Meansmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Compared to the bulk of research on radicalization (e.g., Kruglanski, Jasko, Chernikova, Dugas, & Webber, 2017), little is known on deradicalization from violence (Dalgaard-Nielsen, 2013;Köhler, 2016). However, different streams of literature such as on disengagement from violent extremism, street gangs, or violent political movements (Disley et al, 2011;Veldhuis, 2012;Windisch et al, 2016) corroborate the idea that presenting alternative means would be an effective way of reducing political violence.…”

Section: Alternative Me An S In Der Adic Aliz Ationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, different streams of literature such as on disengagement from violent extremism, street gangs, or violent political movements (Disley et al, 2011;Veldhuis, 2012;Windisch et al, 2016) corroborate the idea that presenting alternative means would be an effective way of reducing political violence. For instance, it was found that getting financial support or finding employment opportunities outside a violent group, as well as having prosocial ties outside the group, are linked to deradicalization (e.g., Barrelle, 2015;Dalgaard-Nielsen, 2013;Köhler, 2016;Vigil, 1988). Being part of a violent group can satisfy important goals such as the need for belongingness, financial goals, or the desire to matter (this is why social norms such as group norms play an important role in predicting collective action, e.g., van Zomeren, Postmes, & Spears, 2008), and therefore, attempts to leave the group should depend on the ability to achieve one's goal in a nonviolent manner.…”

Section: Alternative Me An S In Der Adic Aliz Ationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…behaviors (Dalgaard-Nielsen, 2013). This leads to the question of how psychological reactance can be avoided to prevent these unwanted outcomes.…”

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confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Weapons of peace: Providing alternative means for social change reduces political violence

Schumpe

Bélanger

Giacomantonio

et al. 2018

J Applied Social Pyschol

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The present research demonstrates how support for political violence can be reduced by providing peaceful alternatives to produce social change. In Study 1, participants watched a video documenting the activities of a violent activist group, and then either watched a video of a peaceful activist group supporting the same cause or a control video. Participants that watched the peaceful activist group reported less support for the violent activist group than participants in the control condition. Study 2 replicated and extended Study 1 by testing the underlying psychological mechanism. In line with goal systems theory, providing participants with a peaceful alternative to produce social change (vs. no alternative) reduced the perceived instrumentality of the violent group to further the ideological cause, leading to lower support for the violent group. Implications for anti‐violence campaigns are discussed.

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