Usefulness of the study of thought patterns in Spanish jihadists as a prevention mechanism against radicalization
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47741/17943108.318Keywords:
Terrorism, prevention, thought, jihadism, radicalizationAbstract
Jihadist terrorism has become one of the great challenges facing our society in the twenty-first century. To deepen their knowledge, numerous theories have been proposed about the process of radicalization that leads individuals to use violence under an ideological-religious pretext. Objective. The objective of this research is to investigate the thought patterns presented by Spanish jihadists as disinhibitory mechanisms of radical behavior. Its identification could be useful to know what is the cognitive process they experience, since it could be used as a prevention mechanism against the radicalization process. Methodology. An exhaustive search was carried out of the Spanish sentences published in the CENDOJ on jihadist terrorism in the period between 2015 and 2017. The content of the speech issued verbatim by the condemned jihadists and which were included in the texts, images and videos published by these subjects was analyzed. A database was created to synthesize the findings and the frequency of appearance of the thought patterns exposed in the instrument by Saucier, Akers, Shen-Miller, Knezevié, y Stanko (2009) was counted. Results. A total of 25 sentences were obtained that contained sufficient textual quotations referring to the jihadist propaganda issued by its authors to investigate the recurrent thought patterns. The patterns that were most frequent were the use of military terminology in speech and the glorification of death for the cause being defended. Discussion. The identification of thought patterns shed light on the motivation for action of the condemned Spanish jihadists. This information can be useful in the face of radicalization by interpreting the cognitive mechanisms that underlie a number of important needs that allow individuals to transgress moral norms and employ violence as an expression of a radical ideology.
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