Parental loss or absence linked weakly and inconsistently to radicalization in this sample

Evidence

In seven cases, focal individuals experienced either the death of a parent or having only one parent present in their lives. However, any links between losing a parent (or parental absence) and radicalization were either unclear or highly varied. — 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, 307

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Family discord and weak parental support are the most cited radicalization factors — 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:…, 35; Radicalization factors are non-deterministic and heterogeneous across individuals — 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:…, 226; Parents’ racist normalization and views often precede a son’s radicalization — 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:…, 310 (+5 more)

Broader Connections

• No single factor robustly drives radicalization across the sampled extremist cases #corroborates (0.85) — 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, 319
• Parents’ racist normalization and views often precede a son’s radicalization #complicates (0.82) — 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, 310
• Frustrated identity needs have never been shown to precede rather than follow radicalization #complicates (0.80) — Lea Echelmeyer, Anne-Marie Slotboom, and Frank Weerman, The Putative Effect of Identity on…, 253
• Algorithmic-radicalization narratives may overstate causation since most frustrated users stay moderate #corroborates (0.78) — Sander van der Linden, Foolproof, 387
• Radicalization risk factors span individual to societal levels simultaneously #qualifies (0.74) — 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, 115
• Parenthood duration does not rebound authoritarianism scores higher #expands (0.73) — Bob Altemeyer, The Authoritarian Specter, 1132