El camino de la radicalizaciónrutas psicosociales hacia el prejuicio y el extremismo violento en conflictos religiosos y culturales

Resumo

Radicalization, violent extremism and terrorism have received preferential attention from different government agencies, security agencies and social actors from multiple countries. Likewise, they constitute one of the greatest challenges for the security forces of these countries and have been present in their political agendas for some time. For example, individuals who are radicalized within the European territory (homegrown terrorists; King & Taylor, 2011) and those who return from war zones (foreign fighter returnees; Bąkowski & Puccio, 2016) pose a challenge at the time to identify them and manage their behaviors. Consequently, prevention emerges as a way to fight the increase of radicalism and violent extremism in which more means and efforts should be invested (Marrero & Trujillo, 2018; Navarro & Villaverde, 2014). However, it must be borne in mind that in order to prevent these phenomena, it is necessary to first describe it rigorously and identify the existing functional relationships among the psychosocial variables involved, which will help predict it. Then we will be on the path of understanding and, thus, of possible prevention (Moyano & Trujillo, 2018; Trujillo & Moyano, 2018). Consequently, with this doctoral thesis, we intend to explore some of the risk (Ranstorp, 2016) and protection factors (Lösel, King, Bender, & Jugl, 2018) involved in radicalization and intergroup conflicts. More specifically, it is about (1) exploring the generation of stereotypes and prejudices associated with different peripheral conflicts; (2) studying the mechanisms that underlie the polarization of intergroup attitudes in individuals who feel oppressed; and (3) investigating the mechanisms involved in the processes of radicalization and violent disinhibition. In order to answer these questions, this doctoral thesis is organized into five chapters. In the first chapter, there is a theoretical approach to radicalization, violent extremism and terrorism from a psychosocial perspective. In chapters two through four, different empirical studies are presented in the form of articles, with which we attempt to answer the specific objectives of the thesis. Finally, chapter five discusses the main results and conclusions from the different studies and their implications in this conceptual field. More extensively, the first chapter offers descriptions of radicalization, violent extremism and terrorism close to the field of social psychology. In addition, we present the contributions of the social identity theory and the quest for significance theory to the field of radicalization and intergroup conflict. Also, there are presented some of the contributions of the psychosocial model of recruitment and violent mobilization that were considered relevant for this research. Finally, the general objective of this thesis is presented, as well as the specific objectives derived from it that will be addressed throughout the subsequent chapters. In the second chapter, two articles are presented that refer to stereotypes and prejudices, respectively, associated with the media’s retransmission of violent news. Specifically, the stereotypes and prejudices generated from the news about violent attacks between Palestinians and Israelis. We observe that the inclusion of violence in the news, mediated by emotions —especially negative ones— generate prejudices and more negative stereotypes towards both groups; Palestinians and Israelis. In the third chapter, there are two articles that deal with religious prejudice. On the one hand, in the first article, a scale on religious prejudice between Christians and Muslims is validated and adapted to Spanish. On the other hand, the second article presents a work on the effect of the perception of oppression on the formation of religious prejudices in Christians and Muslims, as well as the role played by the fusion of identity and the need for cognitive closure in this relationship. The fourth chapter, also composed of two articles, focuses on how the loss of personal significance can be a trigger for disinhibition towards violence. In particular, the perception of oppression will unleash a violent disinhibition, a step prior to violent action, through narratives that support violence. These mechanisms were found in groups with both religious and political ideology. In the fifth and last chapter, the results are discussed according to each of the objectives established in the field of the prevention of radicalization. Likewise, some implications and limitations of the studies carried out are presented, as well as future lines of research derived from the results obtained. Since the different studies are presented in the form of articles with the intention of being published, the reader will find some concepts and theories repeated. We would like to apologize for this redundancy. In addition, it should be made explicit that, following the rules of the international doctoral program of the University of Granada, some sections are written in Spanish and others in English.