Abstract
A new set of hypotheses is presented regarding the cause of aggressive religious radicalization (ARR). It is grounded in classic and contemporary theory of human motivation and goal regulation, together with recent empirical advances in personality, social, and neurophysiological psychology. We specify personality traits, threats, and group affordances that combine to divert normal motivational processes toward ARR. Conducive personality traits are oppositional, anxiety-prone, and identity-weak (i.e., morally bewildered). Conducive threats are those that arise from seemingly insurmountable external forces and frustrate effective goal regulation. Conducive affordances include opportunity for immediate and concrete engagement in active groups that are powered by conspiracy narratives, infused with cosmic significance, encouraging of moral violence, and sealed with religious unfalsifiability. We propose that ARR is rewarding because it can spur approach motivated states that mask vulnerability for people whose dispositions and circumstances would otherwise leave them mired in anxious distress.
Highlights
After methodically shooting all 132 children and 12 teachers at a school in Peshawar, Pakistan, the Taliban militant, Abuzar, called his handler for further instructions
This paper provides a theoretical framework with data-driven hypotheses about how basic human motivations interact with situational affordances to make aggressive religious radicalization (ARR) alluring
Despite the shocking atrocities perpetrated by Islamic State (IS) that include beheadings, crucifixions, rapes, pedophilia, and genocidal slaughter (BBC, 2014), and that have been well publicized on YouTube, IS continues to attract foreign recruits who are often among the most zealous (Barrett, 2014b)
Summary
After methodically shooting all 132 children and 12 teachers at a school in Peshawar, Pakistan, the Taliban militant, Abuzar, called his handler for further instructions. The answer came back, “wait for the army to arrive, kill them, and blow yourself up” (Khan, 2014). Abuzar and the six other gunmen complied and detonated their vests on cue. This kind of self-immolating, aggressive religious radicalization (ARR) has recently animated high profile Islamist atrocities by the Islamic State (IS), al-Qaeda, Taliban, Boko Harem, al-Shabaab, and lone-wolf extremists all over the world. Islam is currently in the spotlight, ARR is not a Muslim phenomenon. This paper provides a theoretical framework with data-driven hypotheses about how basic human motivations interact with situational affordances to make ARR alluring
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