Insights from a deradicalization program in Indonesian prisons: The potential benefits of psychological intervention prior to ideological discussion

Abstract

Discussions that are based on religious understanding and aimed at reducing terrorists' hostility have been used as a central part of terrorist deradicalization programs in many countries where acts of Islamic terrorism are prevalent. Currently, various psychological approaches such as presenting social support and providing counseling sessions are being applied alongside religious discussions. Observers of these programs have reported benefits and positive responses to the psychological approaches, but there is still a lack of empirical evidence confirming this. In the current study, we examine the effects of two psychological interventions-emotional expression training and cognitive flexibility training-in predicting detainees' acceptance of the idea of democratic life. We investigated the observational records taken during the psychological interventions and religious discussions. Results showed no main effect of emotional expression and cognitive flexibility in predicting one's acceptance of democratic civil life, but there was a significant interaction between the two predictors. Among those who scored high in cognitive flexibility, detainees who scored also high in emotional expression were significantly more agreeable towards the state's sovereignty over belief in an Islamic caliphate during religious discussions. Our findings suggest that psychological interventions do indeed offer benefits for detainees' deradicalization programs.

The Urgency of Deradicalization Measures for Terrorism Inmates in Correctional Facilities

“…Initially, deradicalization was meant to persuade terrorists and their supporters to abandon violence. (Muluk et al, 2020) According to the author, deradicalization efforts are not solely focused on countering radical ideologies but aim to provide protection, education, and the ability to empower terrorism actors, especially former convicts, to instill nationalism in others still involved in radical movements.…”

Deradicalization programs in Indonesia: Bibliometric analysis of international publication trends from 1980 to 2022

“…These are closely associated with the religious aspect, particularly Islam. Therefore, questions raised by academics in establishing the topic and focus of deradicalization studies in Indonesia would invariably relate to Islam and Muslims (Muluk et al, 2020).…”

Desistance, Disengagement, and Deradicalization: A Cross-Field Comparison

“…Likewise, researchers have recently begun to note the emotional valence of pulling away from an extremist group or ideology (Bubolz & Simi, 2015; Mattsson & Johansson, 2020; Simi et al, 2019). Broadly speaking, emotion not only plays a part in keeping someone involved in extremism, but also in terminating that engagement (Altier et al, 2014; Muluk et al, 2020). In terms of affective states, quite a few individuals have expressed the visceral experience of pushes and pulls from different, and most often opposing, directions, stirring up contradictory feelings of relief and a sense of freedom as well as uncertainty and loss (Barrelle, 2014; K.…”