How do folks end up converted to whackos, zealots and extremists?

[masraum]

I've wondered this a little in the past, but these days it seems to be coming up more and more for obvious reasons.

How do seemingly normal folks get converted into whackos?

Especially, recently with the IS stuff, people from all over the world seem to be converting to IS and traveling to Syria to fight or in some cases, fighting on their home turf. Yes, in most cases, these folks have been Muslims (though not particularly extreme, and in many cases, relatively lax), but not in every case.

But, besides the folks that are running off to hang with IS, what about the people that followed and still follow Manson?

I just don't understand how these folks get roped in and changed so completely.

I find myself thinking "there's no way, that could never happen to me." But then I bet some of these other folks would have said the same. (of course, in my case, it's true )

French Muslim converts and dies in Syria

A French Muslim man whose father is Jewish died while fighting with jihadists in Syria.

Amar, whose mother was born Catholic, according to the Actualite Juive weekly, converted to Islam four years ago and followed a childhood friend to Syria earlier this year to fight with the Islamic State Sunni jihadist group.

American convert to Islam is killed fighting in Syria, U.S. official says - The Washington Post

U.S. officials said Tuesday that an American convert to Islam who recently traveled to Syria apparently has been killed in fighting. The circumstances surrounding the death of Douglas McCain, 33, remain unclear.

British convert to Islam vows to fight to the death on Syrian rebel front line - Telegraph

The Londoner, who called himself “Abu Yacoub” — father of Jacob — is the first proven case of a Briton being where the fighting is fiercest in Syria.

He disclosed that he had converted to Islam five years ago and had arrived in Syria earlier this year to join the revolutionary forces seeking to overthrow President Assad.

“I will stay here until I die,” he said. “I want to die in Syria. We must all taste paradise, and when that happens is decided already.”

Damian Clairmont killed in Syria: Canadian man died in fighting near Aleppo | National Post

Damian Clairmont killed in Syria: Canadian man died in fighting near Aleppo

In his last message from Syria a month ago, Damian Clairmont joked about the Canadian winter, saying it wasn’t so frigid where he was. “The ski masks here usually aren’t for the cold,” he told the National Post.

This one seems especially odd, but she may have been a nutter before.
Kent benefits mother Sally Jones is now jihadi in Syria | Daily Mail Online

Benefits mother-of-two from Kent once in all-girl rock band who is now jihadi in Syria - and wants to 'behead Christians with a blunt knife'

Nearly as odd. Apparently, the old coot's still got it (he's 80 now)
Charles Manson gets license to marry 26-year-old | New York Post

Mass murderer Charles Manson has gotten a license to marry a 26-year-old woman who visits him in prison.

The marriage license obtained Monday by the Associated Press was issued Nov. 7 for the 80-year-old Manson and Afton Elaine Burton, who left her Midwestern home nine years ago and moved to Corcoran, California — the site of the prison — to be near Manson.

An article that is a bit related, but I don't think it's exactly the same phenomenon that I'm talking about. It's more the mob mentality.

Deindividuation « You Are Not So Smart

The Misconception: People who riot and loot are scum who were just looking for an excuse to steal and be violent.

The Truth: You are are prone to losing your individuality and becoming absorbed into a hivemind under the right conditions.

When a crowd gathers near a suicidal jumper something terrible is unleashed.

In Seattle in 2001, a 26-year-old woman who had recently ended a relationship held up traffic for a little too long as she considered the implications of leaping to her death. As motorists began to back-up on the bridge and become irate, they started yelling “Jump, *****, jump!” until she did.

Cases like this aren’t unusual.

[stomachmonkey]

They find something to hate then are found by others who hate the same thing.

[masraum]

I'm thinking that in many cases, they feel like they don't belong to a group and want to and find a group that's happy to have new cannon fodder and knows how to recruit the weak.

[Bill Douglas]

Rebel without a cause.

Dying for something to believe in.

[mattdavis11]

Fairly certain one that commits to such a role has forgone any fiduciary duty.

[manbridge 74]

Wrong forum. Spiritual issue..

[masraum]

Originally Posted by manbridge 74

Wrong forum. Spiritual issue..

This is not about religion; it's more about personality or the characteristics of the person that allow them to be sucked in by extremists and whackos.

[Nostril Cheese]

Insecurity and intolerance.

And there's plenty of that in PARF, where this belongs.

[Gogar]

There was this Humanities class when I was in my undergrad called "Man's Search for Meaning."

IMO extremism, zealotry, etc. is as if someone signed up for "Man's search for Meaning", and then bought the Cliff's Notes for the test, skipped studying, and then just went straight to test day without understanding the context of any of it.

[sc_rufctr]

In the case about Manson and his new wife... There is a very small percentage of women world wide who are attracted to very dangerous men.
(much less than .01% but world wide that's equates to many thousands)
The worse these men are the more attractive they are to these women. It's not uncommon to find men on death row with a fan base getting lots of mail from women with offers of marriage.

IMO... The religious cases are about people wanting to be part of something "important". (not in all cases obviously)

Often in our modern society people become disjointed and lost. They lack purpose and are generally unhappy.
Converting to Islam and going off to join the fight is very appealing to some of them. Again it's a small percentage of people who affected like this.

With over 7 billion people world wide this phenomenon is really is about numbers.

Think about this...

There are about 1.57 billion Muslims in the world. Lets be conservative and agree .01% are extreme radicals. That equals 157,000.

157,000 is a lot to deal with.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Organized reliigion will always be there to prey upon weak-minded fools who need a crutch to cope with the harsh realities of life. It's expert at extracting their loyalty, money and in many cases, their lives.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by Gogar

There was this Humanities class when I was in my undergrad called "Man's Search for Meaning."

IMO extremism, zealotry, etc. is as if someone signed up for "Man's search for Meaning", and then bought the Cliff's Notes for the test, skipped studying, and then just went straight to test day without understanding the context of any of it.

Yup. People with nothing, looking for something to believe in.

Originally Posted by Porsche-O-Phile

Organized reliigion will always be there to prey upon weak-minded fools who need a crutch to cope with the harsh realities of life. It's expert at extracting their loyalty, money and in many cases, their lives.

So am I weak minded Jeff? Incapable of dealing with the harsh reality of life? Your bitter broad brushing is starting to make a bit of a mess......

[mreid]

It has nothing to do with religion and everything to do with acceptance. It is also both a push and a pull. When I don't fit in and feel alienated, I am pushed towards more fringe elements. The fringe elements are always recruiting (the recent French terror attacks are already being used for recruiting) pulling the disenfranchised towards their cause. The more someone feels alienated, the more potential there is for them to want to blame the other party or seek revenge. The more I feel accepted, the more apt I am to align my beliefs and actions with the accepting party, even to the point of committing heinous acts. This happens every day in America and it is the behavior gangs count on for membership.

[billybek]

Cult like brainwashing...
Easier to do with people who are lost and searching for answers.

[zelrik911]

Originally Posted by masraum

This is not about religion; it's more about personality or the characteristics of the person that allow them to be sucked in by extremists and whackos.

relative deprivation

It starts with "the perception of an unfair disparity between their own situation and that of others in their peer group"

For example: the woman might be quite attractive herself, but she feels that its unfair (& she's deprived) that other girls are prettier. The guy might be well off compared to the wider community, but feels that its unfair (& he's deprived) that others like him are richer.

People who are overtaken by deprivation anxiety in situations like these are fair game for organisations that can quickly spot the symptoms.

If they are lucky they will be 'found' by a reasonably harmless support group like a mainstream religion that may provide benign comfort & support . If you are unlucky you will 'found' by a cult or a sect that will exploit you for everything you have and leave you far worse.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

No however those who are definitely are disproportionately attracted to it. Always have been.

[Rick V]

What happens in the mind of a solo wack-job to make them go off? Take the guy who shot up a theater in Co. a couple of years ago, I don't get it.
Now I completely understand the kind of rage that will make a person o after a single person, because they believe that person has done them wrong, but I do not get taking out a bunch of people unrelated to a situation.
Or the kid who shot, stabbed, and ran over a bunch in Ca. not too long ago, because he couldn't get laid.
You never heard of these things fifty years ago but something in society is saying to a weak mind that this type of reaction to a situation is okay, is it in the water?

[sc_rufctr]

Originally Posted by Rick V

What happens in the mind of a solo wack-job to make them go off? Take the guy who shot up a theater in Co. a couple of years ago, I don't get it.
Now I completely understand the kind of rage that will make a person o after a single person, because they believe that person has done them wrong, but I do not get taking out a bunch of people unrelated to a situation.
Or the kid who shot, stabbed, and ran over a bunch in Ca. not too long ago, because he couldn't get laid.
You never heard of these things fifty years ago but something in society is saying to a weak mind that this type of reaction to a situation is okay, is it in the water?

The "solo wack-job" is a more recent phenomenon. There's something about the modern world that affects some individuals in this way. They even have them in Russia and China but you'd never heard about it.

I wouldn't even try to understand why they do what they do. That's what makes them insane.
For instance the guy in the theater may have thought he was the Joker for real and was doing what the Joker does.
Cray to us normal folk but that's just as likely as any other scenario.

A few years ago a local patient of a mental hospital killed a doctor. (he stabbed him with a kitchen knife which he had stolen earlier that day)

When asked why, he answered. I though he was stealing my blood and I can't have that.

[pavulon]

underlying fulfilment issues + boredom + internet

[M.D. Holloway]

Some people just want purpose, they want to feel like they matter and they want to stand for something. Most of those types are harmless but then there are those that are not...

Then there are those that have a mental illness that doesn't unfold until there is an opportunity. Thats when things get dicy...