Becoming a group member, not violence, is the dominant motive for terrorist followers.

Evidence

Further complexities in analyzing terrorism arise from the widely held assumption that terrorism is intentional behavior, in which motivations of whatever sort, rational or irrational, lead to action that can be objectively identified as terrorism. However, the translation of intention into action is modified by chance and opportunity, neither of which can be satisfactorily predicted. Furthermore, in asking why terrorism happens, one must distinguish between the initiation of a campaign of terrorism and its continuation in the face of government reaction. One must also distinguish between why an individual becomes a terrorist and why an organization (already formed as a group) collectively turns to terrorism. — John T. Jost and Jim Sidanius, Political Psychology, 4081 (#complicates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Recruits join ISIS chiefly for belonging and fellowship, not hatred — Mark Fisher (edited by Darren Ambrose), K-Punk: The Collected and Unpublished…, 2020; Extremist groups sustain membership by offering family-like bonds, power, and mission. — Ryan Andrew Brown, Todd C. Helmus, Rajeev Ramchand, Alina I. Palimaru, Sarah Weilant, Ashley L. Rhoades, and Liisa Hiatt (RAND Corporation), Violent Extremism in America:…, 41; Terrorist groups recruit through family and intimate personal bonds that substitute for kin. — John T. Jost and Jim Sidanius, Political Psychology, 4111 (+6 more)

Broader Connections

• Explaining terrorism requires separating initiation from continuation and individual from group #complicates (0.82) — John T. Jost and Jim Sidanius, Political Psychology, 4081