Understanding the Staircase to TerrorismReligious Rehabilitation Group
From a psychological point of view, there’s a famous saying that “no one wakes up one morning and decides that today is the day to become a terrorist” (Western Psychological Association, 2004).
There are steps towards becoming a terrorist or adopting a terrorist worldview. As we will highlight on the misunderstood religious motivation adopted by the JI, let us just briefly capture the steps from a psychological perspective which leads one to become a terrorist.
Everyone starts on the Ground Floor, where one seeks to find meaning in life through greater understanding of religion or participating in a desired activity. From the Ground floor, one is introduced to the first floor where the ideology of a certain group is presented. As we shall see, the ideology is crucial because it guides and justify terroristsÂ’ motive for action.
On the next floor, the second floor or the Cultivation Stage, one is cultivated through thought reforming process which will change a person’s way of looking at the world, which will then change his behaviour. Next, one moves to the third floor, to secure one’s commitment through rites and oaths as official process of recruitment (“One of us”) to signify brotherhood.
Then, one is led to the fourth floor, the Moral Disengagement or Power of Group Influence stage, through finding legitimate and unquestionable justification for action through tree basic steps, which are:
Deindividuation (loss of individuality)
Diffusion of Responsibility (Shared responsibility)
Division of labour
Finally, in the last floor, the fifth floor, one is recruited to the path of terrorism. The members are psychologically prepared on their sacred vision, and means of achieving it. They start obeying their legitimate authority to show their obedience.
Of course not! Just some information about how a person gradually turns into a terrorist. I guess it works like an immunization shot. After knowing how these terror groups operate, hopefully people might wise up and not fall into the trap so easily. It doesn't necessarily have to be Islam. Cults like the Scientologists also have similar mode of operations.Originally posted by Cool-gal:u r teaching terrorism or wad??![]()
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