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Extremist thinking and doing: A systematic review of empirical findings on the radicalisation process

Allard Feddes, University of Amsterdam

Extremism concerns ideas and behaviours that aim to bring about far-reaching political or social changes by overthrowing the system and/or disrupting society, whereby the use of violence is not rejected. This systematic literature review aims to identify points of departure for a better understanding of this process. The central research questions were: (1) Under what conditions are individuals receptive to extremist ideas and groups? (2) Under what conditions do people turn to extremist acts? (3) At what times and in what ways can intervention be used to reduce susceptibility to extremist ideas and prevent extremist actions? A systematic search of scientific databases was conducted and experts from several countries were contacted. The focus was exclusively on peer-reviewed articles in which original qualitative and/or quantitative data are presented or in which a new analysis of existing data has been carried out. In total, 707 articles were found, which we coded according to the factors from the conceptual framework. In the last two decades, there has been a clear annual increase in the number of empirical scientific studies. Over three-quarters of all empirical research uses a quantitative method. Most research focuses on extremism of an undefined signature, followed by Islamic extremism and right-wing extremism. There is clearly no single factor that in itself is a necessary or sufficient condition for radicalisation. Factors that play a role in the radicalization process at a macro-, meso-, and micro-level were identified. A distinction is made between cognitive factors (i.e., critical thinking), emotional factors (i.e., being able to deal with negative emotions) and behavioural factors (i.e., maintaining a diverse social network). The findings show that group factors, trigger factors and opportunity factors play an important role. Little is known about resilience against radicalization. Implications for future research will be discussed.

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