Our hearts go out to all the victims and victim’s families involved in the Orlando shooting over the weekend. The sad reality is that terrorist attacks have been an ever-present threat gnawing at our collective peace of mind. In recent years those fears—particularly of domestic attacks by extremists—have spiked. And that was before Orlando, Paris, San Bernardino, and Brussels.
As Franklin D. Roosevelt indicated, ‘fear itself’ is not very useful. To contend a threat and begin to dismantle fear, it is important to first understand the forces that shape it. Thus, what can psychology tell us about the life of a terrorist or suicide bomber? What makes someone a radical or fanatic in the first place? Further, how is it that during the past five years, extremist groups in Syria and Iraq have managed to recruit some 30,000 foreign fighters to their cause—a number that doubled between 2014 and 2015? Can we reclaim some of them before it is too late?
Social psychologist Stephen Reicher makes the case that most terrorists are not psychopaths or sadists, much as we would like to believe. Instead most are ordinary people, shaped by group dynamics to do harm in the name of a cause they find noble. Reicher goes on to state that those group dynamics can involve us through our own overreaction and fear, which can ultimately fuel the cycle and beget greater extremism—a term scholars have coined “co-radicalization”.
French anthropologist Dounia Bouzar writes on what she has learned from deprogramming hundreds of young people caught in the cycle. She maintains that only the tug of emotion, not reason, can pull teens back from the call to jihad. Bouzar emphasizes that parents should talk to their children about the shadow world on the Internet—a major recruitment arena in both the U.S. and Europe. Social psychologist Kevin Dutton considers how we can all help break the cycle of co-radicalization, drawing on seven key studies for concrete suggestions. Among those ideas was bridging the toxic divide of mutual distrust by celebrating broader social identities.
As news of attacks and possible threats seem to pile up, many react with compassion fatigue—feeling helpless, shutting down, and not caring. Others can become hyperaroused—feeling overly fearful, taking too much to heart, and changing their routines. The later is especially true for individuals with any sort of trauma history, wherein terrorist attacks can be re-traumatizing and trigger nightmares, anxiety, and hypervigilence.
After the 9/11 attacks, the American Psychological Association (APA) released a series of free fact sheets to help people cope with terrorism and other disasters. They are as timely now as they were then. During stressful times, it’s important to maintain a daily routine; stay connected with social support systems, such as friends, family, and affiliations; and take care of yourself through proper diet, exercise, and pleasurable activities. Ultimately, right now it is important to be as kind to ourselves and others as possible.