Abstract: We compare two recent psychological theories of violent extremism that share substantial commonalities: (1) The Life Psychology model (Bertelsen, 2015) that underwrites the mentoring tool in the Aarhus/Danish model of countering violent extremism, and (2) Significance Quest Theory that highlights the conjunction of Needs, Narratives and Networks in prompting this phenomenon (e.g. Kruglanski et al., 2013, 2014, 2017; Kruglanski, Belanger & Gunaratna, 2019). Integration of the two theories clarifies further the conditions for violent extremism and implies practical guidelines for reducing it.

Abstract: The present study investigated the interplay among deficient life skills, moral disengagement, and extremist attitude across two national contexts. Using a sample of young students in high school or college (N = 686) the present study found significant indirect effects between deficient life skills (agency and structure) and various aspects of an extremist mindset through moral disengagement These findings suggest that these two psychological concepts of life skills and moral disengagement are relevant for understanding and countering violent radicalization processes; that is to say that morality can direct the life skills toward either violent extremism or nonviolent, legal civil participation. Furthermore, the development and empowerment of life skills could enhance individual resilience to morally disengaging narratives and radicalized ideologies.

Abstract: Life Psychology has emerged as an integrative framework theory that recently has been applied in interventions preventing and countering radicalization processes. The theory emphasize the interplay between generic life tasks and skills through which the individual is able to reach a god enough life embedded within a secure attachment to the sociocultural context. Through cross-national samples from the US and Denmark, the present paper operationalize and validate the central concepts of life skills and life-attachment. Furthermore, these measures are applied in a statistical model finding insecure life-attachment to be a root factor in relation to extremism and life skills to be moderating this relationship. Consequently, the study draws attention to how interventions can develop generic life skills as a way of preventing and countering radicalization processes. The findings are discussed in relation to relevant psychological research on radicalization and in relation to its implications.

From the outset the Aarhus Model had two distinguishing features. First, it follows the important Danish principle of helping people who for different reasons see themselves as excluded from society to participate in that society again, and to do so as recognized, active fellow citizens – insofar as that is possible (i.e. without being naive and without endangering the security of others).

Secondly, the Aarhus Model is based on a unique legal institution unknown in many other countries outside Scandinavia that enables schools, social services and the police to work together to facilitate the exchange of information between young people, the police and other authorities. Known as SSP, this collaborative framework has existed in Denmark for more than forty years. Originally designed to combat juvenile crime, it has since proven to be a very efficient instrument. It facilitates concrete, specific work in line with the individual young person’s needs by facilitating the exchange of information and assembling of appropriate teams that can take whatever action is seen as best in a particular case. So it was natural for the Aarhus Model to fall back on this tried and trusted SSP collaboration in order to focus especially on adolescents at risk of radicalization

Abstract: This article explores the phenomenon of Islamist foreign fighters, more specifically the movement of European Muslims to participate in the insurgencies in Syria and Iraq connected to the Islamic State/Daesh as well as the anti-Assad forces in Syria and the implications for European state stability. Drawing on personal psychology, social psychology and social movement theory the article offers an integrated theoretical framework to analyze the radicalization of Islamist foreign fighters. Building on Danish data of Islamist foreign fighters the article provides a first test of the analytical usefulness of this framework. The article further considers what distinguishes the Islamists that go from those that under similar circumstances stay behind, and whether this is a differences of kind or a difference of degree. Finally we discuss the question of how much of a threat foreign fighter returnees pose to European states.

Abstract. Denne artikel undersøger, hvordan radikaliseringen og mobiliseringen af danske foreign fighters foregår, og hvad der motiverer unge danske muslimer til at drage i krig for en voldelig, revolutionær bevægelse som Islamisk Stat. Den offentlige danske debat om foreign fighters tegner et billede af unge, som via bestemte moskémiljøer, studiekredse i Danmark samt internettet radikaliseres til at tro, at væbnet kamp for kalifatet er en religiøs pligt. I kontrast til dette argumenterer artiklen for, at mange foreign fighters i høj grad motiveres af personlige udfordringer, fremmedgørelse og søgen efter mening med tilværelsen snarere end af dybt forankrede og reflekterede politiske og religiøse overbevisninger. I deres søgen efter et tilhørsforhold og mening kommer de unge på forskellig vis i kontakt med radikaliserende miljøer, hvor ensidig deliberation polariserer de unges holdninger. Artiklen præsenterer en interdisciplinær teoretisk model af radikalisering, hvis frugtbarhed diskuteres via analyse af illustrative casestudier af danske foreign fighters, som er rejst ud for at kæmpe for Islamisk Stat. Ved at stille skarpt på mobiliseringen af foreign fighters og tilbyde en forklarende ramme herfor, bidrager artiklen til teori om sociale bevægelser, som alt for ofte alene beskæftiger sig med mobilisering af progressive, pro-demokratiske og ikkevoldelige bevægelser