Seminars & Events

28 November 2016
00:00 - 00:00
Buys Ballot building: Room 223

Seminar: Mark Dechesne – The psychology of contemporary radicalization and terrorism

Abstract:

This presentation will address the current threat of terrorism, Jihadist terrorism and ISIS in particular, and covers the various perspectives that psychology brings to shed light on these issues. The presentation will address the origins of the reemergence of Jihadism/ISIS as a significant threat to  the democratic world, the mind of the terrorist, and strategies to deal with the threat. It will be argued that contemporary Jihadism constitutes a complex and multifaceted threat that requires an urgent and comprehensive response.

 

Bio:

Dr. Mark Dechesne is associate professor at the Leiden University’s Faculty of Governance and Global Affairs. He obtained his doctorate in 2001 for an experimental psychological analysis of the effects of fear of death on social behavior. He combined insights from existentialist philosophy and principles of social cognition and decision making. He was awarded the praemium erasmianum studiorum (2002) for an exceptional dissertation in the social sciences and humanities, and a VENI innovational incentive grant from NWO (2003) to expand his research. His research is primarily focused on developing basic knowledge regarding human judgment, decision making, and beliefs, and the study of various societal questions in which these processes play an important role, most notably terrorism. Dr. Dechesne explored themes related to terrorism at the DHS Center of Excellence NC-START (National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism) from 2006 – 2008, and at various NATO Centers of Excellence. He has served on the editorial boards of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, the European Journal of Social Psychology, Group Processes and Interpersonal Relations, and Advances in Political Psychology.