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What fuels radicalization? Is deradicalization a possibility? The Three Pillars of Radicalization: Needs, Narratives, and Networks addresses these crucial questions by identifying the three major determinants of radicalization that progresses into violent extremism. The first determinant is the need: individuals' universal desire for personal significance. The second determinant is narrative, which guides members in their "quest for significance." The third determinant is the network, or membership in one's group that validates the collective narrative and dispenses rewards like respect and veneration to members who implement it. In this book, Arie W. Kruglanski, Jocelyn J. Bélanger, and Rohan Gunaratna present a new model of radicalization that takes into account factors that activate the individual's quest for significance. Synthesizing varied empirical evidence, this volume reinterprets prior theories of radicalization and examines major issues in deradicalization and recidivism, which will only become more relevant as communities continue to negotiate the threat of extremism.

Contents: 1. A clear and present danger for the 21st century. 2. The rise of contemporary violent Islamist extremism: the threat and the response. 3. Significance quest theory of radicalization. 4. Other theories of radicalization. 5. Empirical evidence for significance quest theory. 6. Profiles in violent extremism. 7. The deradicalization process. 8. Can rehabilitation last? On preventing re-radicalization. 9. Assessing radicalization and deradicalization. 10. Epilogue: the long shadow of violent extremism.