Violent Extremism in America

In more than half of the cases, a “re-orienting” event was described that prompted an individual to reconsider previously accepted views and embrace extremist ideologies. These events included a gun possession charge, rejection by the military, a friend’s suicide, and an extended period of unemployment.

In a majority of cases, individuals described consuming propaganda during radicalization, especially online materials, but also music and books.

In seven cases (4 white supremacist, 3 Islamic extremist), recruitment involved top-down action by recruiters from radical organizations. In 18 cases (15 white supremacist, 3 Islamic extremist), recruitment involved “bottom-up” entry in which individuals radicalized on their own and then sought membership in extremist organizations.

“It may be difficult to observe noticeable changes in individuals until they are radicalized and those changes often are a surprise to their family,” Brown said. “It is only after the radicalization takes place that family members and friends may understand what has happened.”

Individuals in the RAND study said they also benefited socially while participating in extremist groups, most notably finding friends and developing a sense of camaraderie and friendship that was previously missing in their lives. Some noted a new sense of power.

The most commonly mentioned factor for exiting a group was a sense of disillusionment and burnout. Hypocrisy or other negative behaviors by group members were often cited as reasons for these feelings.

Individuals or groups helped 22 of the individuals in the RAND sample to exit extremist groups, with such interventions most often conducted intentionally. The interventions included diverse cultural and demographic exposures, providing emotional support, and providing pathways to financial and/or domestic stability.

In half of those cases, the intervention was orchestrated and conducted by an institution, including religious groups, law enforcement, and secular nonprofits. Twenty-two of the 32 cases also described processes of self-driven exit from extremism, in which former extremists sought their own paths out of groups and ideologies.

A majority of the study participants also indicated that they experienced interventions that had failed, most often efforts that had been initiated by family members. Punitive interventions by law enforcement also often led to paradoxical effects of increased extremism.

“Our work suggests that the punitive approach should be used sparingly because it seldom ends radicalization and frequently has negative consequences for community members,” Brown said.

The RAND study provides recommendations that community organizations and researchers should pursue in the future to strengthen both practice and understanding of what works.

Those recommendations include expanding community based mental health services in areas at risk for radicalization and exploring whether interventions based on an addiction treatment model can help deter radicalization.

Community organizations also should consider ways to expand exposure to diverse populations, help at-risk families recognize and react to signs of extremism, and improve ways to present deradicalization messages at the right time and place.

Researchers should work to better identify geographic and demographic hot spots for radicalization, develop educational and outreach efforts to help recognize and address the signs of radicalization, and explore social network approaches to deradicalization.

Key Findings
Negative life events are part of, but not the sole cause of, radicalization
Abuse or trauma, difficult family situations, bullying, and other negative life events often have psychological and behavioral consequences and are sometimes implicated in radicalization pathways. However, they are never the sole or most direct cause of radicalization.

Those with mental health challenges often had difficulty accessing care
Although not every respondent spoke of mental health problems, those who did mentioned lack of treatment options that were accessible or affordable.

The enduring appeal of extremist groups seems to lie in attending to fundamental human needs
Needs for social bonds, love and acceptance, and having a life purpose go unmet for some people, leaving them prone to become involved with extremist views and groups.

Radical ideology and involvement in extremist activities have addictive properties for many
Physical violence and engaging in extremist activity online have addictive properties that appear linked to the experience of joint risk and struggle against a common enemy.

Recruitment to radical groups deliberately leverages psychological vulnerabilities
Radical groups develop ways to bolster ideological commitment through (1) restriction of access to information or circumstances that challenge ideological constructs and (2) social and cognitive strategies for reinforcing in-group bias and hatred toward people outside the group.

Extremist groups nurture a self-reinforcing social milieu
This includes shared purpose, camaraderie, friendship, and joint activities, all of which can involve both risk and emotional rewards.

Both radicalization and deradicalization are linked to “being in the right place at the right time”
An individual’s experience of a dramatic, challenging life event and of highly meaningful social interactions (both negative and positive) play fundamental roles in both processes.

Heavy-handed attempts by formal institutions to deradicalize individuals often fail
Such measures taken by intelligence and law enforcement agencies are understandable because of the need to protect the public but can sometimes deepen ongoing radicalization processes and push potentially salvageable cases to more-extreme behaviors and involvement.

Stigmatization of groups seems mostly to push at-risk individuals further down the extremist path
Punitive measures, banned speech, and indignant public discourse can backfire and increase the drive for radicalization.

Media literacy, access to diverse sources of information, and positive experiences with diversity appear critical for deradicalization

In certain cases, structured and opportunistic interventions that involve exposure to people outside the group who exhibit kindness and generosity have had positive effects.

Recommendations

·  Community organizations should expand opportunities for mental health care.

·  Community organizations should provide opportunities for expanding diversity exposure.

·  Community organizations should help at-risk parents and families to recognize and react to signs of extremist radicalization and engagement.

·  Community organizations should present deradicalization messages at the right time and place.

·  Community organizations should consider the trade-offs between punitive and “soft” law enforcement interventions.

·  Community organizations should organize community-based educational opportunities.

·  Researchers should explore the feasibility of addiction-based programs to address hate and radicalization.

·  Researchers should better identify geographic and demographic hot spots for radicalization.

·  Researchers should explore and develop educational and outreach efforts to help recognize and address signs of radicalization.

·  Researchers should explore and design social network approaches to deradicalization.

·  Researchers should continue to explore and design interventions that foster deliberate exposure to “optimal contact” with groups targeted by hatred.

·  Researchers should conduct research on institutional and societal (environmental) influences of extremism.

·  Researchers should design and assess programs that create safe, mentored spaces for individuals to freely express themselves and challenge one another’s beliefs.

·  Researchers should use both data science and ethnographic research to understand current processes of online radicalization to extreme groups.