START researcher Arie Kruglanski will offer a lecture on the "Psychological Basis of Radicalization" during a workshop about the psychology of terrorism, beginning at 8:30 a.m. Jan. 29, hosted by The Science Office of the Embassy of Italy at 3000 Whitehaven Street, NW Washington, D.C. 20008.
The workshop, the first in a series of two, is designed to put forth a group of high-level experts in the psychology of leadership and terrorism to discuss the psychological forces that drive terrorists to act and the motivations and decision-making of rogue leaders who may be pursuing weapon of mass destruction.
Kruglanski's talk will focus on the theory and findings of his team's research in the Middle East, Philippines and Sri Lanka: The same motivational force that drives people to commit acts of terrorism can actually promote pro-social and benevolent behavior. Kruglanski and the study's co-authors, Jocelyn B?langer and Michele Gelfand at the University of Maryland, College Park, suggest that understanding self-love and redirecting an individual's "quest for significance" is crucial to reversing the current tide of global terrorism. Their paper on the topic, "Terrorism: A Self-Love Story," is due to publish in American Psychologist later this year.
For more information and to register to attend the workshop, click here.