Radicalization and terrorism research has been growing in funding and prestige over the last decades. This is partially due to the ‘War on Terror’ which has been raging for more than two decades...Show moreRadicalization and terrorism research has been growing in funding and prestige over the last decades. This is partially due to the ‘War on Terror’ which has been raging for more than two decades and shows no sign of slowing down. The need for practical application of the research has made that the field has become relatively one sided and occupied with ‘the other’. This research seeks to bridge that gap. To this extent this research focuses on the universal nature of radicalization and justification for violence. It does so by comparing and contrasting two very different groups. On one side Muslim extremists and on the other Western war criminals. The research was conducted applying thematic analysis to six autobiographies written by the violent individuals. Several universal themes were found which all lead to the application and justification of violence towards a civilian population. However, notable differences were also found which again emphasizes the complex nature of radicalization research. Overall, this paper shows that there are themes and perspectives which have not been touched upon by contemporary research and urges for more exploration of the topic. This paper, with its exploratory nature, aims to be the foundation on which future research can be performed.Show less
The aim of this study was to investigate whether the extent to which adolescents feel lost in a fictional story (i.e. narrative transportation) affects the extent to which they justify or forgive...Show moreThe aim of this study was to investigate whether the extent to which adolescents feel lost in a fictional story (i.e. narrative transportation) affects the extent to which they justify or forgive the protagonist’s immoral actions (i.e. moral disengagement). Ninety-two Dutch secondary school students (37 males) between 12 and 16 years of age participated and were randomly assigned to an instructed fiction or uninstructed fiction condition. While participants in both conditions read the same story, only those in the former condition were instructed to immerse themselves in the narrative. Participants then completed the Narrative Transportation Scale and a moral disengagement questionnaire. Contrary to expectations, this study did not find a significant link between transportation and moral disengagement. Moreover, the transportation-enhancing instructions appeared to be ineffective. Although the results indicate transportation does not affect moral disengagement in adolescents, several limitations of the study suggest that further research is warranted.Show less