ABSTRACT
This chapter examines what is meant by radicalization, what are the most important risk factors and how it can be observed. It describes the Quest for Personal Significance theory to discuss what drives the radicalization process and how to turn it around to bring about deradicalization. The chapter explains how this knowledge can be translated into concrete actions with the help of community-based organizations to prevent violent extremism. With the world continuously on the cusp of a new terrorist attack, it is generally agreed that shedding light on how and why individuals are willing to join terrorist organizations is key to curbing the rise of violent extremism. The Quest for Personal Significance is the only empirically-supported theory that describes the psychological mechanisms through which people abandon violence, while proposing concrete interventions oriented toward countering violent extremism. The chapter offers explicit and implicit intervention strategies that suggest successful interventions are possible.
