Arie W. Kruglanski: Cognition, Motivation And Radicalization
Arie W. Kruglanski is Professor Emeritus at the University of Maryland, USA. Born in Poland, he spent most of his life in the United States, where he contributed to the development of various and important theories. While it is true that he began by studying cognitive closure theory, he made contributions in various fields by unveiling his findings in various articles and books.
Among the contributions of Arie W. Kruglanski, we find the need for cognitive closure, motivational preparation and the search for meaning. Each of these theories exerts an influence on the others. Thus, the search for meaning theory, the last of his theories, seeks to explain the motivations of terrorists on the basis of the two preceding theories.
Need for cognitive closure
The need for cognitive closure, developed by Kruglanski , corresponds to the desire to give a quick answer to a question that has a confused or ambiguous meaning. People all have this incessant need to search for information. The need for closure would therefore slow down this research and help us to obtain knowledge. Therefore, it would be necessary on a daily basis not to constantly seek information.
People in dire need of fencing quickly overcome uncertainty by making do with whatever leads are available. Through these leads, they draw conclusions that will become irremovable. If the leads are wrong, then they can defend bad ideas. Since the members of our groups are the greatest source of certainty and knowledge, they can provide us with cognitive closure. These people will tell us what the world is like, what to do in various situations, who they are and why they are so important.
Motivational preparation
According to Kruglanski, people have desires when something is missing. Desires which can be of all types, material or symbolic, even mixed. In addition, very often, these desires arise because of the influence of the entourage or close beings. Therefore, desires have two components: magnitude and content. The magnitude tells us the degree of desire and the content, what we desire.
In addition, we also have expectations vis-à-vis this desire. An estimate of the likelihood that this desire will come true. These expectations will depend on the experiences we have had and what others think. If our friends think we can do it, our expectations will be higher. Other factors will also influence them, such as optimism or cost.
The main thing is that a desire arises, even though the desire and the expectations will influence each other. The stronger the desire, the greater the expectations for its satisfaction. In the second case, the higher the expectations, the greater the desire. So it is when these two components are high that a goal arises and, therefore, the motivation to achieve it.
Quest for meaning
Another of our needs, according to Kruglanski, is the need to find meaning. We need to feel that we are important, that we have a purpose and values that influence the decisions we make. When we lose our meaning or find an opportunity to have a bigger one, our motivation is awakened. This motivation is the quest for meaning which pushes us, as its name suggests, to seek meaning.
Once that motivation arouses, we look for ways to find that meaning. These are found in different places, in narratives, ideologies… If these narratives tell us that violence is the only possible way to find meaning and if our social network is for the use of violence, we will end up opt for violent extremism. In other words, if our group supports violence and if we are searching for meaning, we will probably end up using it. According to Kruglanski, this is the path terrorists are following.
As we have seen, Kruglanski made great contributions to psychology. And more particularly in three fields: cognition, motivation and terrorism. His discoveries led him to make other discoveries in different fields. Thus, the theories of cognition and motivation that he developed have given way to another theory that allows us to understand how people radicalize and end up joining terrorist organizations.
Our thoughts It is often said that there is no greater loss of freedom than the insecurity generated by fear.
