Radicalisation and the associated use of hate-related violence have become a growing

issue of concern and a global threat for security, international stability and prosperity in the

world (Hate Crime Statistics, 2017). Violent radicalisation is a term refers to the process of

adopting an extremist belief system including the intent to use violence in order to promote

certain ideology (Kim Knott & Benjamin, 2020).

Despite variability in ideology, it is important to note that the success of extremist

groups tends to use similar strategies to increasingly recruite at-risk vulnerable young

individuals who typically have insecurities and feelings of loneliness associated with

experiencing an identity conflict, an unrequited desire for some sort of identity, community

and purpose in life (Borum, 2014; Wood, 2016 ; Weimann, 2016 ;Ludot et al., 2018).

Consistent with this perspective, studies on radicalization find “identity” to stand at the fore

of the radicalization process (Berbrier, 2000; Borum, 2014).

Identity plays a major role in developmental and social psychology (Gillibrand et

al.,2016; DeLamater, 2018) because it is a leading construct of the human world (Howard,

2000). Identity is socially constructed concept, people learn about their own identities and the

identity of others through interaction with family, peers, organizations and other connections

they make in their everyday life (Howard, 2000).

Through this research, new insights can be gained on the importance of the role of identity in

affiliation to extreme groups. The current study draws on identity formation theory (Erikson

,1968) and social identity theory (Tajfel, 1974).

Theoretical framework

According to Erikson (1968), the task of identity formation is a continuous and

lifelong process that peaks in adolescence and emerging adulthood. He defines identity as a

sense of self, resulting from the integration of past, present, and future experiences. The

process of identity development begins with a phase of identity crisis, a normative

intense exploration of personal beliefs and goals (Erikson, 1968).

Identity achieved adolescents have successfully undergone crisis. Identity coherence

refers to the feeling of trust in the reliable unity and continuity of the self, mirrored by

supportive others. This feeling is crucial for healthy development of adolescents, boosting

their ego strength of competence and enhancing their prospects of making a successful

transition to adulthood (Schwartz et al., 2009). The construction of a viable identity generally

requires successful resolution of the major conflicts that have dominated earlier phases of

childhood and have centered on fundamental issues of trust, autonomy, and initiative

(Erikson ,1968).

However, Adolescence is a vulnerable phase of psychological turbulence and

reorganization in the life cycle (Ludot et al., 2018) and particularly dependent on the social

forces, structures, and institutions in which it is embedded (Erikson ,1968).The process of

identity development can be extra bewildering if young adults have unresolved past conflicts,

feel unsupported within their existing social environment and put the individual in the state of

identity confusion that young adults failed to create a clear sense of purpose and direction.

(Erikson ,1968; Stuewig et al., 2015;).

Based on Erikson’s theory, Marcia (1980) introduced a new outlook on identity

formation in addition to the phase of exploration, there is a phase of commitment, which

refers to the adoption of firm convictions or choices.

Marcia (1980) has proposed four identity statuses: the most mature status is Identity

Achievement where the adolescence has successfully undergone identity exploration and

develop firm commitment. While Identity Diffusion is the least mature one where the young

person neither investigate alternative identities nor commit to a particular one. They are

usually unstable and move from one option to the next.

relationships (Marcia ,1980). In fact, these people are socially isolated, having low self-

esteem, mood swing, rebelliousness, indecisiveness concerning major life choices and may

have poor grades at schools (Barelle, 2015; Baumeister & Leary, 1995; King & Taylor,

2010).

This diffusion state invokes strong negative affect and hinders the ability to regulate

their emotions and may engage in self-destructive behaviours state such as alcohol initiation,

drug abuse and depression in order to cope with their pain according to self-medication

hypothesis (Kernberg, 2006). They also likely to involve in aggressive behaviours as a

consequence of their frustration according to frustration- aggression Hypothesis (Berkowitz,

1969).

Such individuals are sensitive to influence by others who can elevate their self-

esteem. (Schwartz, 2009). And they may look for alternative ways such as Absorption into

authoritarian group structures and adoption of racist ideologies that provide a negative

substitute for an integrated identity (Erikson ,1968).

Social identify theory refers to the aspect of self-concept that is derived from

membership in a particular social group (Tajfel, 1974; Tajfel & Turner ,1979).

Social identity is a concept with core components that allow an individual to maintain

an enduring personality, and peripheral components that are more fluid allowing an

individual to adapt to various situations and adopt various roles and group identities (Turner

and Onorato, 1999). Both components are evolving in a reciprocating process between the

individual and the groups (Jenkins, 2004).

The awareness of, and identification with, different social groups provide a source of social

support and offer a sense of belonging, meaning, pride (Stets & Burke, 2000; Hogg &

Vaughan, 2017).
 The desire for positive self-evaluation is primary motivations for the tendency of

group members to nurture their similarities and supress differences (Turner et al., 1987). A

“black sheep” in the group often is more disliked than similar individuals in outgroups. Under

the influence of social identity, Individuals may alter their personal motives and behaviour to

adopt group norms and values in order to strive for consensus within the group (Ashforth and

Mael, 1989). Accordingly, people obey the metacontrast principle by exaggerating the

ingroup similarities and accentuating the outgroups differences (Hogg & Vaughan, 2017)

Enhancing self-esteem is one of the basic tenets of social identity theory. Research has found

that the bias for one’s group (favoritism) and the denigration of others in outgroups

(discrimination) is pervasive, implicit, and easily triggered (Tajfel, 1974; Turner et al., 1987).

This is consistent with ultimate attribution error, the tendency is to attribute socially

undesirable (negative) outgroup behaviours internally to dispositions (Pettigrew, 1979).

According to Hogg’s Uncertainty-Identity theory, In-group identification and

intergroup discrimination occur to a greater extent during times of uncertainty. Hogg et al.,

(2010) study indicated that the more uncertain one is, the greater the probability of that

individual seeking highly entitative groups such as an extreme group that provide well-

defined and clearly prescriptive rules with a black-and-white worldview.

The identity achieved through categorisation into social groups and roles is not fixed

but is subject to shifts back and forth between individual and varying social identities.

In certain contexts, one identity may be more psychologically salient and, hence, there is an

increase in commitment leading to that identity’s domination over other aspects of the

person’s life (Hogg & Vaughan, 2017). Through the process of self-categorization, People

downplay their personal attributes and see and stereotype themselves through the group

prototype. They engage in depersonalization process and think, feel, believe in terms of their
group prototype. In this way, personal identity transforms into collective identity (Turner and

Onorato, 1999).

While self-categorisation is important to the psyche, the extreme of self-categorisation can

lead to ethnocentric attitudes and the dehumanisation of the ‘other’. This involves perceiving

the out-group(s) as insignificant and culturally inferior, as well as less deserving of basic

human rights, which can justify the use of violence (Bizumic, & Duckitt, 2012; Hogg &

Vaughan, 2017).

Aim

To fight against radicalization at best, it is important to approach the reality of the field as

closely as possible. The objective of the current study is to decipher the profile of a minor

who joined the extremism . Accordingly, the current study employs qualitative method in

examining the phenomenological aspects of identity formation and social identity and their

roles in belonging to extremism groups.

Method

Design

Qualitative methods were employed as a vital tool to analyze the data presented in the

transcript. A qualitative approach allows for a rich investigation of the participants’

perceptions, and the complexity of their interpretations, through an analysis of the way they

experience, interpret and construct their own experiences (Willig, 2013).

Participants

The presenter, Christian Picciolini, an Italian born in American male from Chicago is the

only participant of this study.

Materials

The TEDx video along with its transcript was sourced from YouTube (Ted, 2017).
Procedure

The University of Derby incorporated a hyperlink for the recording into the

assessment brief of the social and developmental psychology module.

Ethical Considerations

Ethical concerns were explored according to The British Psychology Society’s Ethics

Guidelines for Internet-Mediated Research (2017). Accordingly, this research is perceived

ethically sound weighed against numerous aspects. The participant willingly presented his

thoughts on a topic of his choice for public distribution through TEDx’s official YouTube

Channel, eliminating concerns of privacy and consent. According to the BPS (2017),

qualitative approaches such as online interviews are less susceptible of ethical concerns. The

presenter shares his own perception of reasons behind radicalization based on personal

experience, which eliminates social harm. Lastly, no participants were involved as there was

no research.

Analytical Strategy

This report used the social constructionist as the epistemological framework for this

study. A social constructionist epistemology rejects the assumption of an objective truth and

proposes that meaning is achieved through engagement with the social world (Burr, 1995).

Each social reality is, therefore, grounded in an individual’s social interactions and is

constructed. In this understanding of knowledge, it is clear that different people may

construct meaning in different ways, even in relation to the same phenomenon (Burr, 1995).

Social constructionism emphasis upon language as the framework to provide

understanding and meaning to people’s experience of themselves and their social and

psychological world (Burr, 1995; Willig, 2013).

Social construction is relevant to this report as Christian is talking about his own

experiences and his version of the world, which he has constructed discursively through
language (Willig, 2013). Social construction enables this research by identifying and

analyzing particular discourses that Christian used to construct his experiences at certain

periods in his life, and how this construction resulted in the actions that ultimately changed

his behaviour and viewpoints (Burr, 1995).

This epistemological view also offers a richer interpretation of extremist experience,

where the field has been criticised for a lack of empirical research and neglecting socio-

cultural influences around radicalisation (McGilloway et al., 2015). Indeed, recent trends

within the study of extremism emphasise the importance of examining this topic from a social

constructionist viewpoint (Winter & Feixas, 2019).

The six stages of thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006) were followed to analyse

the TED talk transcript. Coding was conducted using inductive and latent approach, driven by

the research question and interrogating nuanced meaning underpinning data (Braun & Clarke,

2006.

TA was selected over alternatives such as Grounded Theory, IPE or Discourse

Analysis due to its theoretically flexible approach to data analysis in that it is not tied to a

particular theoretical position and can provide a rich and detailed, yet complex account of

data (Braun & Clark, 2006). This theoretical freedom, therefore, allowed the author to

combine TA with social constructionism. Furthermore, TA offers an ease way of analysis for

researchers who are unfamiliar with qualitative methods, as there are no rigid procedures, so

the process is relatively straightforward to grasp (Braun & Clarke, 2006).

TA is also effective in analysing large data sets such as a transcript, as it encourages a

well-structured approach to handling data, resulting in a clear and organised final report

(Lorelli et. al, 2017).