Psychological and Sociological Factors in Terrorism and Radicalization: The Example of al-Qaeda

30.06.2025 | Büşra BEYOĞLU

There are many psychological and sociological reasons that push and pull people to become members of terrorist organizations and radicalized through violence. Maslow (1943), who created the theory of the hierarchy of needs, states that physiological, security, love and belonging, esteem, cognitive, aesthetic, self-actualization and self-transcendence needs are individual and psychological factors that motivate people to seek methods to satisfy these needs. Apart from these, Webber and Kruglanski (2017), who created 3N approach, state that narratives and group dynamics are sociological factors that affect terrorism processes. As a result of the psychological and sociological dynamics examined by using the discourse analysis method on the published letters of the Al-Qaeda terrorist organization using these two theories, it has been seen that psychological processes such as meeting people's basic needs, feeling safe both physically and psychologically, the need for family and belonging, the motivation to gain importance, the need to interpret and make sense of events in order to harmonize their thoughts, the search for beauty and naturalness, the search for identity and the need to reach transcendence are effective in attending the organization and radicalization through violence. Moreover, when examined from a sociological perspective, it has been determined that the factors that legitimize violence, such as selected traumas and victories, quoting from religious books and dehumanization, as well as the systematic structure of the organization, ensuring consensus and integrating with group identity, are effective in the phenomenon of terrorism.

Beyoğlu, B. (2025). Psychological and Sociological Factors in Terrorism and Radicalization: The Example of al-Qaeda. Journal of Terrorism and Radicalization Studies, 4(2), pp. 186-222. DOI: 10.61314/traddergi.1673740