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Deradicalization of terrorists constitutes a critical component of the global “war on terror.” Unfortunately, little is known about deradicalization programs, and evidence for their effectiveness is derived solely from expert impressions and potentially flawed recidivism rates. We present the first empirical assessment of one such program: the Sri Lankan rehabilitation program for former members of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (a terrorist organization that operated in Sri Lanka until their defeat in 2009). We offer evidence that deradicalization efforts that provided beneficiaries with sustained mechanisms for earning personal significance significantly reduced extremism after 1 year (Study 1). We also found that upon release, beneficiaries expressed lower levels of extremism than their counterparts in the community (Study 2). These findings highlight the critical role of personal significance in deradicalization efforts, offer insights into the workings of deradicalization, and suggest practical methods for improving deradicalization programs worldwide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a model of radicalization and deradicalization based on the notion that the quest for personal significance constitutes a major motivational force that may push individuals toward violent extremism. Radicalization is defined as the process of supporting or engaging in activities deemed (by others) as in violation of important social norms (e.g., the killing of civilians). In these terms, radicalization (1) is a matter of degree (in which mere attitudinal support for violence reflects a lower degree of radicalization than actual engagement in violence); (2) represents a subjective judgment proffered by those for whom the violated norms seem important but not by those who have devalued or suppressed the norms in question. Our radicalization/deradicalization model contains three crucial components: (1) the motivational component (the quest for personal significance) that defines a goal to which one may be committed, (2) the ideological component that in addition identifies the means of violence as appropriate for this goal's pursuit, and (3) the social process of networking and group dynamics through which the individual comes to share in the violence-justifying ideology and proceeds to implement it as a means of significance gain. We present empirical evidence consistent with our model's assumptions and discuss its implications for policies of preventing radicalization and effecting deradicalization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A motivational analysis of suicidal terrorism is outlined, anchored in the notion of significance quest. It is suggested that heterogeneous factors identified as personal causes of suicidal terrorism (e.g. trauma, humiliation, social exclusion), the various ideological reasons assumed to justify it (e.g. liberation from foreign occupation, defense of one's nation or religion), and the social pressures brought upon candidates for suicidal terrorism may be profitably subsumed within an integrative framework that explains diverse instances of suicidal terrorism as attempts at significance restoration, significance gain, and prevention of significance loss. Research and policy implications of the present analysis are considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article responds to a research paper that examined the motivation behind the actions of suicide terrorists. The author explores how the quest for personal significance, used in the paper as a unifying concept that explains the motivation of suicide terrorists, is exploited by terrorist organizations in order to fulfill this motivation. The author examines how martyrdom fits into Islamic tradition, scripture and literature as well as how it has been used by non-Muslim groups. The author also discusses how the concept of jihad has developed and how martyrdom now falls within what Islamic theologians considered effective means of conducting jihad.

The article responds to a research paper that examined the motivation behind the actions of suicide terrorists. The author discusses the weakness related to conducting a mainstream psychological examination of terrorism. The two fundamental problems are; firstly, the lack of powerful conceptual frameworks to drive the research and secondly, the tendency for researchers to break into competing camps based on differing opinions shaped by individual differences and contextual factors. The author explores how cultural contextual factors exist in varying degrees of influence across Islamic communities and how the macro global and evolutionary context impact Islamic terrorism.

The article responds to a research paper that examined the motivation behind the actions of suicide terrorists. The author discusses some of the problems that have been associated with previous psychological studies that have examined terrorism and the terrorists that carry out these acts. The author believes that this paper has committed several errors in terms of the case they present and how it has been constructed. The author explores the evidence that is presented and questions how effectively it supports the argument set forth. The paper also discusses the contextual nature of psychological studies of motivation.

This study explored the dynamics of terrorism through a quantitative content analysis of documents issued by terrorist groups and nonterrorist comparison groups. Thirteen terrorist groups were matched with comparison groups that shared the same ideologies, and their documents were coded for ingroup affiliation, outgroup affiliation, and power motive imagery. As hypothesized, compared with nonterrorist groups, terrorist groups were significantly higher in ingroup affiliation motive imagery and significantly lower in outgroup affiliation motive imagery in the full sample of documents and in an indicator sample that included only terrorist groups' preterrorism documents. Terrorist groups were significantly higher than comparison groups in power motive imagery in the full sample and marginally significantly higher in power motive imagery in the indicator sample. These results highlight the important role that group dynamics play in terrorist groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]