Assessing Radicalization and Deradicalization

Abstract

This chapter presents a new evaluation tool for determining the degree of success of deradicalization programs. This battery consists of elements that represent the 3N pillars: It contains tools for assessing individuals’ quest for significance, their adherence to an ideological narrative that supports violence, and their membership in social networks that adhere to those narratives. The proposed tool consists of a triangulation of two methodologies, each with its own advantages and disadvantages that collectively compensate for each other. One methodology consists of a self-report measure in form of a survey that target individuals (suspected or at risk of radicalization) fill out. The second methodology consists of an observational system focused on the same 3N elements and carried out by persons in close contact with those target individuals.