Pathways to Violence: Terrorist Radicalization and Enculturation Mechanisms

• In Event: Perspectives on Workplace Crime, Pathways to Terrorism, Organized Religion and Deviance, and the Impact of Segregation on Drug Offenses

Abstract

A number of theories have been proffered by researchers to explain the pathway to violent extremism (e.g., Olivier, 2010; Borum, 2011; Papachristos, et al., 2013). This paper examines the structural, behavioral, and enculturation mechanisms, which contribute to individual terrorist radicalization. It analyzes the conditions, susceptibility indicators, characteristics, and socialization processes that facilitate the indoctrination of a person into a culture of terrorism. This includes such radicalization elements as pro-violence narratives, propagandizing, and enculturation methods leading to a trajectory of violent extremism which may culminate in terrorist acts. The findings suggest that the efficacy of the radicalization mechanism hinges on several factors to include individual behavioral construct, strength of push and pull drivers, ideological agenda, socio-cultural context, and proficiency of indoctrination mechanism.

Author

• William P. Bloss, East Carolina University