7 Crucial Facts About Radicalization You Should Know

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  1. Extreme beliefs and behaviors can be more than just a “phase.” When left unaddressed, radicalization can have severe consequences for the individual, their family, and their broader community.
  2. Radicalization is a gradual process. Radicalization doesn’t happen overnight. There are warning signs for involvement in extremist groups and signs that your loved one could be on the pathway to violence.
  3. Radicalization can happen to anyone. Radicalization transcends racial, religious, and political boundaries – similar to other public health concerns such as substance abuse disorder or viral diseases.
  4. Radicalization is emotionally appealing. Extremist ideologies and movements draw their power by connecting with our desire for identity, belonging, community, purpose, and the need to be in control of our lives. Additionally, they weaponize powerful emotions such as anger, outrage, and disgust to bolster their appeal.
  5. Radicalization can act like a drug of choice. Extremist ideologies offer a quick yet ultimately self-destructive ways to cope with hardships (e.g. alienation, betrayal, loss, or trauma) or negative feelings (sadness, fear, or feeling powerless).
  6. Some individuals may have additional vulnerabilities: Isolation, trauma, and some neurological disorders (e.g., autism spectrum disorder) may make some individuals more susceptible to recruitment.
  7. By far, the biggest vulnerability to radicalization is a developing brain: Research has shown that the neocortex, the part of the brain in charge of reasoning and regulating emotions, doesn’t fully develop until the mid-20s. This is also the age when the urge to seek identity, community, and purpose is most acutely felt, and the potential for exploitation by extremist groups is highest.  Over 60% of young people exposed to extremist ideologies online are under the age of 24 (National Institute of Justice).

Parents for Peace (P4P) runs the nation’s first and only free & confidential intervention helpline. We help Families understand and address a loved one’s attraction to extreme beliefs and behaviors. Call us at 844-49-PEACE (844-497-3223) or email us at help@parents4peace.org.  We take a non-partisan, public health approach and implement strict data protection and confidentiality protocols.

We are not a crisis line. In case of emergency, contact 911 or 988 immediately.

RESILIENT FAMILIES, SAFER COMMUNITIES

Parents for Peace (P4P) empowers families to build resilience against extreme beliefs and behaviors, as a public health issue. By partnering with educators, we aim to provide the knowledge and tools needed to identify and counteract extremist influences, ensuring safe learning environments for all.

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“Forgiveness is a sublime example of humanity that I explore at every opportunity, because it was the unconditional forgiveness I was given by people who I once claimed to hate that demonstrated the way from there to here.”
Arno Michaelis
Peer Support Specialist

Once the lead singer of a Neo-Nazi metal band, Arno’s life took a dramatic turn with the birth of his daughter, leading him from hate to hope. Today, as a speaker, filmmaker, and author of My Life After Hate and co-author of The Gift of Our Wounds, Arno uses his narrative to encourage empathy and understanding. His work at Parents for Peace focuses on helping individuals reject violence by seeing themselves in others and finding common humanity. Learn about the rest of our team here.