How Do Terrorists Get People To Unite With Them?
Unfortunately, terrorist attacks take over the news and the press much more often than we would like. And it is precisely because of this repetition and continued exposure that we have reached a point of worrying numbness. What was rare has become usual, and the usual always seems less serious.
The combination of lack of information and strong images turned into something usual. What are the consequences ? Misinformation and a drop in interest. However, terrorism is not a phenomenon that the security forces and proxies of large countries can combat. Terrorism is a daily struggle that begins in our relations with our neighbors.
The mistakes he makes us make
Terrorism is a phenomenon which, in its broad outline and from its origin, may seem far removed from the West to many people. While it is true that there are people who lived it up close, the majority of those who walk daily in the western streets would never have thought that it could directly affect them and threaten or inspire them. fear, far beyond compassion for “victims of other countries”.
But, is this a reality? If we take Europe as an example, the majority of terrorists are neither poor, nor social marginalized, nor migrants. They are middle class people, who are apparently well adjusted and have the nationality of the country in which they reside and carry out attacks. It can be scary: if we analyze it, seen from the outside, a terrorist is not that different from us.
This statement leads us to a very important question: How do terrorists get these people to join them? The answer lies in capturing and recruiting. Even if, normally, the news which reaches us describes to us people who plan and carry out attacks on their account, the reality is that, behind these people, there are others who manipulate them.
A bad time
First, recruiters for terrorist organizations select people who seem likely to want to join them. They are usually going through a bad time: they have just entered prison, arrived in a new country, are suffering from a romantic break-up or are stressed and afraid of not meeting family expectations. In any case, we are talking about a person who has normally adapted but who, at the time this recruitment takes place, finds himself in a certain way isolated. She comes to put the blame on the circumstances.
Recruiters will take care of approaching these people and playing the support role, in an initial phase. They will dig a little deeper into their pain. People who are having a bad time have poor self-control. Stressful events follow one another without being able to do anything to avoid them, which increases their feeling of lack of control. Recruiters will reinforce this feeling and ultimately give them a way out.
The feeling of being marginalized, in addition to the lack of control, will affect the physical but also psychological immune system. The defenses of these people will be very weak on both counts, which will increase their feeling of danger and anxiety more and more. The person will feel weak and helpless.
This situation is known as aversion. If a person remains in a situation of aversion for a long time, he will end up suffering from disorders of an organic, cognitive and emotional type. This framework will make her more vulnerable and it will therefore be easier for her to trust recruiters.
Identity change
Under these conditions, it is normal for the person to lose all sense of security in himself when he sees that he cannot control the situation. The second consequence is the loss of personal identity. We are talking about a person who loses all contact with reality and isolates himself socially. She lacks motivation to achieve personal goals and, therefore, is easily persuaded.
As these processes unfold, that person will also experience negative “high energy” or proactive emotions such as hatred, anger, doubt and aversion. But also more “calm” negative emotions like humiliation, fear and frustration.
Along with these processes, recruiters are going to offer a reason for living to these people. They will give them an identity as a member of a group. They will offer them prestige and social support, simple and strict standards for living. They will imprint an ideology that will justify violence against those who marginalize them.
The capture of future terrorists
The picture we have in front of us is that of an ineffective person, with a negative attitude, who is not focused on his tasks, frustrated and, therefore, irritable and aggressive. The consequence is that she may begin to compulsively think that her ailments are caused by the social environment around her and the people who are part of it. Recruiters can get a good return from this situation, which will help them in their mission.
Recruiters and catchers take advantage of the bad times that any person can go through. They exploit this situation to leave the latter without psychological and social resources. And once that person no longer has the means to defend themselves, they offer them a way out. They offer her the opportunity to take revenge on those who marginalized her, to start all over again. They forgive him for all his mistakes. This is why prevention begins in our immediate environment. As we have seen, being able to count on social support and having psychological resources can prevent greater evils.
Our thoughts In our retinas and above all, in our hearts, lies the sadness and anguish suffered in recent months due to the terrorist attack in Barc …
