Abstract
Improving our understanding of how disengagement and deradicalisation from terrorism and violent extremism occurs has critical real-world implications. A systematic review of the recent literature in this area was conducted in order to develop a more refined and empirically-derived model of the processes involved. After screening more than 83,000 documents, we found 29 research reports which met the minimum quality thresholds. Thematic analysis identified key factors associated with disengagement and deradicalisation processes. Assessing the interactions of these factors produced the Phoenix Model of Disengagement and Deradicalisation which is described in this paper. Also examined are some of the potential policy and practice implications of the Phoenix Model, as are avenues for future research in this area.
References
Altier, M. B., Leonard Boyle, E., Shortland, N. D., & Horgan, J. G. (2017). Why they leave: An analysis of terrorist disengagement events from eighty-seven autobiographical accounts. Security Studies, 26(2), 305–332.10.1080/09636412.2017.1280307Search in Google Scholar
Barrelle, K. (2015). Pro-integration: disengagement from and life after extremism. 10.1080/19434472.2014.988165Search in Google Scholar
Behavioral Sciences of Terrorism and Political Aggression, 7(2), 129–142.Search in Google Scholar
Bérubé, M., Scrivens, R., Venkatesh, V., & Gaudette, T. (2019). Converging patterns in pathways in and out of violent extremism. Perspectives on Terrorism, 13(6), 73–89.Search in Google Scholar
Borum, R. (2011). Radicalization into violent extremism II: A review of conceptual models and empirical research. Journal of Strategic Security, 4(4), 37–62. 10.5038/1944-0472.4.4.2Search in Google Scholar
Braddock, K. (2019). Terrorist disengagement and de-radicalisation. In A. Silke (Ed.), Routledge handbook of terrorism and counterterrorism (pp.458–470). New York: Routledge. 10.4324/9781315744636-40Search in Google Scholar
Chalmers, I. (2017). Countering violent extremism in Indonesia: Bringing back the Jihadists. Asian Studies Review, 41(3), 331–351.10.1080/10357823.2017.1323848Search in Google Scholar
Cherney, A. (2018). Supporting disengagement and reintegration: qualitative outcomes from a custody-based counter radicalisation intervention. Journal for Deradicalization, (17), 1–27.Search in Google Scholar
Christensen, T. W. (2020). Civil actors’ role in deradicalisation and disengagement initiatives: When trust is essential. In S. J. Hansen & S. Lid (Eds.), Routledge handbook of deradicalisation and disengagement (pp. 143–155). London: Routledge. 10.4324/9781315387420-12Search in Google Scholar
Corner, E., & Gill, P. (2019). Psychological distress, terrorist involvement and disengagement from terrorism: A sequence analysis approach. Journal of Quantitative Criminology, 36(3), 1–28.10.1007/s10940-019-09420-1Search in Google Scholar
Grossman, M., & Barolsky, V. (2019). Reintegrating children, women and families returning to Australia from foreign conflict zones: The role of community support. Deakin University.Search in Google Scholar
Hakim, M. A., & Mujahidah, D. R. (2020). Social context, interpersonal network, and identity dynamics: A social psychological case study of terrorist recidivism. Asian Journal of Social Psychology, 23(1), 3–14.10.1111/ajsp.12349Search in Google Scholar
Helmus, T. C. (2009). Why and how some people become terrorists. In D. Noricks, T. Helmus, C. Paul, C. Berrebi, B. Jackson, G. Gvineria , M. Egner & B. Bahney (Eds.), Social science for counterterrorism (pp.71–111). Santa Monica: RAND.Search in Google Scholar
Hogg, M. A., & Adelman, J. (2013). Uncertainty-identity theory: Extreme groups, radical behavior, and authoritarian leadership. Journal of Social Issues, 69(3), 436–454.10.1111/josi.12023Search in Google Scholar
Horgan, J. (2009). Individual disengagement. In T. Bjorgo & J. Horgan (Eds.), Leaving terrorism behind: Disengagement from political violence (pp.17-29). New York: Routledge.Search in Google Scholar
Horgan, J. (2009). Walking away from terrorism: Accounts of disengagement from radical and extremist movements. London: Routledge.10.4324/9780203874738Search in Google Scholar
Horgan, J., Altier, M. B., Shortland, N., & Taylor, M. (2017). Walking away: the disengagement and de-radicalisation of a violent right-wing extremist. Behavioral Sciences of Terrorism and Political Aggression, 9(2), 63–77.10.1080/19434472.2016.1156722Search in Google Scholar
Horgan, J., & Braddock, K. (2010). Rehabilitating the terrorists? Challenges in assessing the effectiveness of de-radicalisation programs. Terrorism and Political Violence, 22(2), 267–291.10.1080/09546551003594748Search in Google Scholar
Horgan, J. & Taylor, M. (2011). Disengagement, de-radicalisation, and the arc of terrorism: Future directions for research. In R. Coolsaet (Ed.), Jihadi terrorism and the radicalisation challenge: European and American experiences (pp.173–186). London: Routledge.Search in Google Scholar
Joyce, C., & Lynch, O. (2017). »Doing Peace«: The role of ex-political prisoners in violence prevention initiatives in Northern Ireland. Studies in Conflict & Terrorism, 40(12), 1072–1090.10.1080/1057610X.2016.1253990Search in Google Scholar
Kruglanski, A. W., Gelfand, M. J., Bélanger, J. J., Sheveland, A., Hetiarachchi, M., & Gunaratna, R. (2014). The psychology of radicalisation and deradicalisation: How significance quest impacts violent extremism. Political Psychology, 35(S1), 69–93.10.1111/pops.12163Search in Google Scholar
Latif, M., Blee, K., DeMichele, M., Simi, P., & Alexander, S. (2019). Why White supremacist women become disillusioned, and why they leave. The Sociological Quarterly, 61(3), 1–22.10.1080/00380253.2019.1625733Search in Google Scholar
Milla, M. N., Hudiyana, J., & Arifin, H. H. (2020). Attitude toward rehabilitation as a key predictor for adopting alternative identities in deradicalisation programs: An investigation of terrorist detainees’ profiles. Asian Journal of Social Psychology, 23(1), 15–28.10.1111/ajsp.12380Search in Google Scholar
Moghaddam, F. (2009). De-radicalisation and the staircase from terrorism. In D. Canter (Ed.), The Faces of Terrorism: Multidisciplinary Perspectives, pp.277–292. Chichester: Wiley.10.1002/9780470744499.ch16Search in Google Scholar
Muluk, H., Umam, A. N., & Milla, M. N. (2020). Insights from a deradicalization program in Indonesian prisons: The potential benefits of psychological intervention prior to ideological discussion. Asian Journal of Social Psychology, 23(1), 42–53.10.1111/ajsp.12392Search in Google Scholar
Neumann, P., & Rogers, B. (2007). Recruitment and Mobilisation for the Islamist Militant Movement in Europe. London: International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation and Political Violence.Search in Google Scholar
Phillips, B. J. (2021). How did 9/11 affect terrorism research? Examining articles and authors, 1970–2019. Terrorism and Political Violence.10.1080/09546553.2021.1935889Search in Google Scholar
Ranstorp, M. (2007). Mapping terrorism research. London: Routledge.10.4324/9780203969007Search in Google Scholar
Reid, E. (1997). Evolution of a body of knowledge: An analysis of terrorism research. Information Processing & Management, 33(1), 91–106.10.1016/S0306-4573(96)00052-0Search in Google Scholar
Renard, T. (2020). Overblown: Exploring the gap between the fear of terrorist recidivism and the evidence. CTC Sentinel, April, 1–11.Search in Google Scholar
Schmid, A. (2011). The routledge handbook of terrorism research. London: Routledge.10.4324/9780203828731Search in Google Scholar
Schmid, A. & Jongman, A. (1988). Political terrorism: A new guide to actors, authors, concepts, databases, theories and literature. Amsterdam: North Holland Publishing Company.Search in Google Scholar
Schuurman, B. (2020). Research on terrorism, 2007–2016: A review of data, methods, and authorship. Terrorism and Political Violence, 32(5), 1011–1026.10.1080/09546553.2018.1439023Search in Google Scholar
Sikkens, E., van San, M. R. P. J. R. S., Sieckelinck, S. M. A., & de Winter, M. (2017). Parental influence on radicalisation and de-radicalisation according to the lived experiences of former extremists and their families. Journal for Deradicalisation, 12, 192–226.Search in Google Scholar
Silke, A. (2001). The devil you know: Continuing problems with research on terrorism. Terrorism and Political Violence 13(4), 1–14.10.1080/09546550109609697Search in Google Scholar
Silke, A. & Morrison, J. (2020). Re-offending by released terrorist prisoners: Separating hype from reality. ICCT Policy Brief, The Hague.10.19165/2020.2.08Search in Google Scholar
Silke, A. & Schmidt-Petersen, J. (2017). The golden age? What the 100 most cited articles in terrorism studies tell us. Terrorism and Political Violence, 29(4), 692-71210.1080/09546553.2015.1064397Search in Google Scholar
Simi, P., Windisch, S., Harris, D., & Ligon, G. (2019). Anger from within: The role of emotions in disengagement from violent extremism. Journal of Qualitative Criminal Justice & Criminology, 7(2). 10.21428/88de04a1.7dc6a559Search in Google Scholar
Syafiq, M. (2019). Deradicalisation and disengagement from terrorism and threat to identity: An analysis of former jihadist prisoners’ accounts. Psychology and Developing Societies, 31(2), 227–251.10.1177/0971333619863169Search in Google Scholar
Taylor, C., Semmelrock, T., & McDermott, A. (2019). The cost of defection: The consequences of quitting Al-Shabaab. International Journal of Conflict and Violence (IJCV), 13, a657–a657.Search in Google Scholar
Victoroff, J. (2005). The mind of the terrorist: A review and critique of psychological approaches. Journal of Conflict resolution, 49(1), 3-42. 10.1177/0022002704272040Search in Google Scholar
Webber, D., Chernikova, M., Kruglanski, A. W., Gelfand, M. J., Hettiarachchi, M., Gunaratna, R., & Belanger, J. J. (2018). Deradicalizing detained terrorists. Political Psychology, 39(3), 539–556.10.1111/pops.12428Search in Google Scholar
© 2021 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston
Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Frontmatter
- Editorial
- Extremism, Radicalization and Terrorism: Editorial
- Micro and macro-level risk factors for extremism and terrorism: Toward a criminology of extremist violence
- Perceived injustice, perceived group threat and self-reported right-wing violence: An integrated approach
- Does context matter? European-specific risk factors for radicalization
- Pathways to radicalization in adolescence: The development of ideological beliefs, acceptance of violence, and extremist behavior
- Left-wing extremist violence: Risk and protective factors in a targeted sample of potential extremists
- Radicalization potentials of young Muslims in prison: What role do religious factors play?
- The families of Dutch terrorist suspects: Risk and protective factors among parents and siblings
- Psychological Differences between Radicalized and non-Radicalized Muslim Prisoners: A Qualitative Analysis of their Frame Alignment
- Concept of and approaches toward a developmental prevention of radicalization: Promising strategies to keep young people away from political, religious, and other forms of extremism
- The Phoenix Model of Disengagement and Deradicalisation from Terrorism and Violent Extremism
Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Frontmatter
- Editorial
- Extremism, Radicalization and Terrorism: Editorial
- Micro and macro-level risk factors for extremism and terrorism: Toward a criminology of extremist violence
- Perceived injustice, perceived group threat and self-reported right-wing violence: An integrated approach
- Does context matter? European-specific risk factors for radicalization
- Pathways to radicalization in adolescence: The development of ideological beliefs, acceptance of violence, and extremist behavior
- Left-wing extremist violence: Risk and protective factors in a targeted sample of potential extremists
- Radicalization potentials of young Muslims in prison: What role do religious factors play?
- The families of Dutch terrorist suspects: Risk and protective factors among parents and siblings
- Psychological Differences between Radicalized and non-Radicalized Muslim Prisoners: A Qualitative Analysis of their Frame Alignment
- Concept of and approaches toward a developmental prevention of radicalization: Promising strategies to keep young people away from political, religious, and other forms of extremism
- The Phoenix Model of Disengagement and Deradicalisation from Terrorism and Violent Extremism