Why is it so difficult to investigate radicalization that leads to violence?

Conférence publique organisée par l’École doctorale en psychologie sociale de l'Institut de Psychologie

Invité par l'Ecole doctorale en psychologie sociale pour animer un module, Prof. Angel Gómez, Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia, UNED, Madrid, animera une conférence publique ouverte à tous et toutes qui sont interessé·e·s sur le sujet.

Why are there people who are willing to die and kill for a group, a value, or a leader? Researchers have attempted to respond to such a question, particularly after the attack on the Twin Towers in New York the 11S. However, few have developed theoretical models, less have applied such models to real empirical context and extremely scarce ones have had the direct fieldwork experience with individuals under risk of radicalization, violent radicals (e.g. terrorists), or former terrorists. This is motivated by a series of theoretical, methodological, and empirical limitations that impede obtaining conclusive findings. The aim of this conference is to offer a sample of the results from a research team that has made the effort to solve these limitations. It will be presented:

(1) the nature and development of a theory to predict extreme behavior on behalf of a group, a value, or a leader;

(2) the main findings in the laboratory that built the theory;

(3) a novel methodology to deep into its underlying mechanism making fieldwork;

(4) empirical results obtained with individuals under risk of radicalization, fighters in Syria and Iraq, internally displaced individuals in the war between Syria and ISIS, former members of radicals Islamist groups and Tamil Tigers, terrorists from ISIS and Al Qaeda and street gangs and organized-crime bands in prisons and, finally,

(5) it will be introduced a transcultural model including 31 studies and illustrating the pathways for the will evil or good, including more than 12.000 participants from 9 countries, people in longstanding conflicts, refugees, imprisoned jihadists and gangs, US military, studies in Ukraine before and during the war, and rolling studies with a European ally of Ukraine. It will be paid particular attention to the application for Governmental Institutions, as penitentiary Institutions, and in the development of strategies to prevent radicalization leading to violence and to foster disengagement.

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