Abstract
I know but one freedom, and that is freedom of the mind. – Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Terrorists seek to wreak havoc in society, whether they are the self-proclaimed Muslim marauders who rammed their vehicles into revellers on London Bridge and Borough in the United Kingdom or the far-right fanatic who shot and killed Muslim worshippers in a mosque in Quebec in Canada. But what do we know about the conflicting and terrorizing forces that often operate in the minds of those who perpetrate heinous and horrific atrocities such as these? What are the psychological determinants and social influences that could drive people to carry out such abhorrent and abominable activities?
This chapter aims to answer these questions and to provide mental health practitioners with a map to help them navigate through the precarious territory of the minds of those who perpetrate terrorism. In Section 1, we will discuss, describe and delve into some of the major psychological determinants and social influences of violent extremism. In Section 2 we offer insights into the pernicious phenomena of undue influence, brainwashing and mind control and the roles that each potentially plays in the cognition, character and conduct of members of destructive cult organizations. We conclude with clinical considerations for mental health practitioners as well as suggestions for how to stymie the proliferation of dangerous mind control cults of all kinds.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
https://www.theguardian.com/theguardian/1999/jul/15/features11.g2.
Hankir A, Carrick FR, Zaman R. Islam, mental health and being a Muslim in the West. Psychiatr Danub. 2015;27(Suppl 1):S53–9.
Bhugra D, Ventriglio A, Bhui K. Acculturation, violent radicalisation, and religious fundamentalism. Lancet Psychiatry. 2017;4(3):179–81.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/may/26/jihadis-muslims-radicalisation-manchester.
Lyons-Padilla S, Gelfand MJ, Mirahmadi H, Farooq M, van Egmond M. Belonging nowhere: marginalization and radicalization risk among Muslim immigrants. Behav Sci Pol. 2015;1(2):1–12.
Bhui K, Everitt B, Jones E. Might depression, psychosocial adversity, and limited social assets explain vulnerability to and resistance against violent radicalisation? PLoS One. 2014;9(9):e105918. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0105918. eCollection 2014.
Coid JW, Bhui K, MacManus D, Kallis C, Bebbington P, Ullrich S. Extremism, religion and psychiatric morbidity in a population-based sample of young men. Br J Psychiatry. 2016;209(6):491–7. Epub 2016 Oct 20.
https://www.channel4.com/news/isis-iraq-british-jihad-recruitment-video-extremist-muslim.
Kunst J, Sam D, Ulleberg P. Perceived islamophobia: scale development and validation. Int J Intercult Relat. 2013;37(2):225–37. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2012.11.001.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/feb/22/anders-breivik-massacre-one-of-us-anne-seierstad.
Melle I. The Breivik case and what psychiatrists can learn from it. World Psychiatry. 2013;12(1):16–21.
Corner E, Gill P. A false dichotomy? Mental illness and lone-actor terrorism. Law Hum Behav. 2015;39(1):23–34.
Bhui K, Jones E. The challenge of radicalisation: a public health approach to understanding and intervention. Psychoanal Psychother. 2017. https://doi.org/10.1080/02668734.2017.1354908.
Hassan S. Combating cult mind control: the #1 best-selling guide to protection, rescue and recovery from destructive cults. Boston, USA: Freedom of Mind Press; 1988.
Lifton RJ. Thought reform and the psychology of totalism. New York: Norton; 1961.
Lifton RJ. Destroying the world to save it: Aum Shinrikyo, apocalyptic violence and the new global terrorism. New York: Metropolitan Books; 1999.
Festinger L, Riecken HW, Schachter S. When prophecy falls. Minnesota, USA: Harper & Row; 1964.
http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2015/12/men-making-captagon-the-drug-fueling-isis.html.
Devillé C, Moeglin C, Sentissi O. Dissociative disorders: between neurosis and psychosis. Case Rep Psychiatry. 2014;2014:425892. https://doi.org/10.1155/2014/425892.
Mind control: psychological reality or mindless rhetoric? By Dr. Philip G. Zimbardo. 2002;33(10):5.
Dr. Philip Zimbardo interviewed at his home by Steven Hassan 1997 https://vimeo.com/16261318.
Hankir A, Carrick FR, Zaman R, Part I. Muslims, social inclusion and the West. Exploring challenges faced by stigmatized groups. Psychiatr Danub. 2017;29(Suppl 3):164–72.
Marcia R. The cult phenomenon: fad or fact? NY Univ Rev Law Soc Chang. IX(1):18–9.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2019 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Hankir, A.Z., Hassan, S. (2019). Psychological Determinants and Social Influences of Violent Extremism. In: Moffic, H., Peteet, J., Hankir, A., Awaad, R. (eds) Islamophobia and Psychiatry. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-00512-2_32
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-00512-2_32
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-00511-5
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-00512-2
eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)