Eriksonian Analysis of Terrorism in West Africa

Abstract

The objective of an Eriksonian analysis of terrorism is not to discard other theories, but to build on them, addressing their limitations through a personality development analysis which seeks to examine the susceptibility or eventual radicalization of an individual. So, while the concept attests to various socio-economic and political theories underpinning terrorism, it examines how these theories exposes the weaknesses of identity through a psychosocial analysis of personality development. The crux of the theory is therefore to examine reasons underlying the paths to radicalization from an intra-personal perspective largely influenced by one's immediate social conditions. The basic questions are therefore: Why do individuals of the same socio-economic and political pressure respond differently to the “pressures of radicalization”? Recommendations after the study includes; the concept of an integrating highly segregated extremist communities, a concept called “The Melting Pot”, revaluating teaching and learning models of Islamic Institutions offering Islamic studies.