Deradicalisation of terrorists : a psychological perspective

Much of the previous theoretical discussions pertaining to the deradicalisation of extremists and terrorists have been discussed from political science and sociological perspectives (e.g. Mullins, 2010; QIASS, 2010). However psychological research has much to contribute in this area. This paper atte...

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Main Authors: Shi, Priscilla Wanting., Ho, Cheryl Hui Wen.
Other Authors: Majeed Khader
Format: Final Year Project
Language:English
Published: 2013
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Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/10356/52644
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Institution: Nanyang Technological University
Language: English
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spelling sg-ntu-dr.10356-526442019-12-10T12:53:10Z Deradicalisation of terrorists : a psychological perspective Shi, Priscilla Wanting. Ho, Cheryl Hui Wen. Majeed Khader School of Humanities and Social Sciences DRNTU::Social sciences Much of the previous theoretical discussions pertaining to the deradicalisation of extremists and terrorists have been discussed from political science and sociological perspectives (e.g. Mullins, 2010; QIASS, 2010). However psychological research has much to contribute in this area. This paper attempts to provide a better understanding of this process from a psychosocial perspective. The main research questions in this paper were: What are the concepts of deradicalisation? What is the underlying psychology of terrorism (radicalisation, involvement and deradicalisation)? How relevant are the existing deradicalisation and rehabilitation programs (DRPs) to the dynamics of radicalisation? What are the potential areas of improvement in DRPs? A literature review was conducted to analyse the theories related to radicalisation and deradicalisation of Islamic terrorists. The results of this review showed that a) deradicalisation and rehabilitation programs (DRPs) across many countries have similar emphases but to vary in content; b) due to a lack of criterion clarity, the evaluation of DRP efficacy has been a challenge; c) there is no one-size-fit-all intervention and that DRPs should be tailored to individual detainees; and d) one potential advancement in approach is the use of psychological counselling and therapy techniques. Recognising the potential contributions of psychology, this paper believes that more can be done to better inform future deradicalisation efforts. Bachelor of Arts in Psychology 2013-05-21T07:46:26Z 2013-05-21T07:46:26Z 2013 2013 Final Year Project (FYP) http://hdl.handle.net/10356/52644 en Nanyang Technological University 118 p. application/pdf
institution Nanyang Technological University
building NTU Library
country Singapore
collection DR-NTU
language English
topic DRNTU::Social sciences
spellingShingle DRNTU::Social sciences
Shi, Priscilla Wanting.
Ho, Cheryl Hui Wen.
Deradicalisation of terrorists : a psychological perspective
description Much of the previous theoretical discussions pertaining to the deradicalisation of extremists and terrorists have been discussed from political science and sociological perspectives (e.g. Mullins, 2010; QIASS, 2010). However psychological research has much to contribute in this area. This paper attempts to provide a better understanding of this process from a psychosocial perspective. The main research questions in this paper were: What are the concepts of deradicalisation? What is the underlying psychology of terrorism (radicalisation, involvement and deradicalisation)? How relevant are the existing deradicalisation and rehabilitation programs (DRPs) to the dynamics of radicalisation? What are the potential areas of improvement in DRPs? A literature review was conducted to analyse the theories related to radicalisation and deradicalisation of Islamic terrorists. The results of this review showed that a) deradicalisation and rehabilitation programs (DRPs) across many countries have similar emphases but to vary in content; b) due to a lack of criterion clarity, the evaluation of DRP efficacy has been a challenge; c) there is no one-size-fit-all intervention and that DRPs should be tailored to individual detainees; and d) one potential advancement in approach is the use of psychological counselling and therapy techniques. Recognising the potential contributions of psychology, this paper believes that more can be done to better inform future deradicalisation efforts.
author2 Majeed Khader
author_facet Majeed Khader
Shi, Priscilla Wanting.
Ho, Cheryl Hui Wen.
format Final Year Project
author Shi, Priscilla Wanting.
Ho, Cheryl Hui Wen.
author_sort Shi, Priscilla Wanting.
title Deradicalisation of terrorists : a psychological perspective
title_short Deradicalisation of terrorists : a psychological perspective
title_full Deradicalisation of terrorists : a psychological perspective
title_fullStr Deradicalisation of terrorists : a psychological perspective
title_full_unstemmed Deradicalisation of terrorists : a psychological perspective
title_sort deradicalisation of terrorists : a psychological perspective
publishDate 2013
url http://hdl.handle.net/10356/52644
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