Stern Discusses Trauma and Extremist Influences
Jessica Stern, Research Professor at Boston University’s Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies, was interviewed for a Boston Globe article on rising extremism in children and teenagers, as well as the role that childhood trauma may play in susceptibility to extremist influences.
The article centered around a nonprofit, Parents for Peace, that helps families whose children are involved with extremist movements. Parents for Peace aims to help families by building a community with other families experiencing the same situation as well as providing resources to children that limit the influence of radicalism.
Stern, who researches terrorism and trauma, commented on some of the underlying factors that may push an individual to extremism online, namely those who have suffered childhood trauma and those who have an autism spectrum disorder. In order to better understand the connection between trauma and extremism, Stern is currently working alongside Parents for Peace and their case logs to identify if there are any common signs between the cases that could indicate a future problem. Commenting on her work with the nonprofit, Stern said, “it’s not that we think traumatized kids will become extremists, but that traumatized kids may be over-represented in the population of extremists.”
Read the full article here.
Professor Jessica Stern is a Research Professor at Boston University’s Pardee School of Global Studies. She is the co-author of ISIS: The State of Terror and the author of Denial: A Memoir of Terror, Terror in the Name of God: Why Religious Militants Kill, as well as The Ultimate Terrorists. Learn more about Professor Stern on her faculty profile.