Psychosocial Perspective on Violence and Extremism

Abstract

Violence, the infliction of harm on others, and violently imposed extremist views are world wide problems. It is vital to all of us as socially responsible individuals to understand and contain violence and extremism. To seriously address this need requires a psychosocial framework because of the variety of individual, ethnic, and cultural factors that contribute to the development and expression of both. Preventing and managing violence and extremist views requires coordinated efforts to change individuals and their contexts. Unfortunately, most of the psychological material relevant to violence and extremism comes from the Western world and, in particular, from the United States. To offset that bias, emphasis in this chapter is placed on broader transcultural considerations.