Radicalisation among Young People: In Search of Risk Assessment Model

Abstract

Problem. Terrorism is a long-standing phenomenon, it has existed for more than two millennia. It has been changing over time, acquiring the new features and characteristics of a particular era, but one feature has retained unchanged: terrorism still poses a serious threat to society. Purpose: the focus of our attention in this paper is to look into the potential of socio-psychological knowledge to assess the risk of radicalization in the adolescent and youth environment. This determines the purpose of the theoretical analysis presented here. Results: In the absence of risk assessment tools, M. Hogg’s theory of uncertainty-identity is an empirically proven theory adequate to explain the process of radicalisation (taking into account that a person is not radicalised alone, committing actions involving extreme violence is not an automatic continuation of extreme (or radical) ideas). The model explains why and how people join groups with extremist and radical beliefs, as well as why they pre-fer acts of violence, acting on behalf of these groups.