External danger and social isolation drive members toward group conformity.

Evidence

A distinctive characteristic of terrorist groups is that they exist under conditions of extreme danger and corresponding stress. As Janis (1968, p. 80) observes, “When people are exposed to external danger, they show a remarkable increase in group solidarity. That is, they manifest increased motivation to retain affiliation with a face-to-face group and to avoid actions that deviate from its norms.” Janis’s (1968) studies of soldiers under combat conditions are relevant to this analysis of terrorist behavior. He notes, for example, that social isolation—something that terrorists choose—also increases dependence on the group. External danger stimulates needs for reassurance, which are satisfied through interaction with other members of the group, leading to a strong individual motivation to stay in the group and to avoid the risk of expulsion. The threat of group disapproval suppresses inclinations to deviate from group norms. — John T. Jost and Jim Sidanius, Political Psychology, 4142

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to research on high-control religious groups and cults using isolation and external-threat rhetoric to enforce conformity. — connects to: Communication establishes uniformity among men by isolating them — Theodor W. Adorno, Max Horkheimer, Dialectic of Enlightenment, 197; Groups internalize external threat as an oath to preserve cohesion after danger recedes — Fredric Jameson, Marxism and Form, 509; Shared danger makes people feel close to strangers and motivates mutual help. — John Drury, The role of social identity processes…, 74 (+4 more)