Radicalization

noun

/ˌrædɪkəlaɪˈzeɪʃən/

The process by which an individual or group adopts increasingly extreme political, religious, or ideological positions, often to the point of justifying or engaging in violence.

✍️ Usage in a UPSC answer

Effective counter-terrorism demands that the state address not merely the violent symptoms but the structural drivers of radicalization, since chronic unemployment, social alienation and the unchecked spread of extremist propaganda online furnish fertile ground for disaffected youth to be drawn towards militancy.

Synonyms

extremizationmilitarization (of views)polarizationfanaticizationindoctrinationhardening

Antonyms

deradicalizationmoderationdepolarizationreintegration

🌱 Word Family

radicalize (v), radical (adj/n), radically (adv), radicalism (n), deradicalization (n)

🔡 Root

Latin radicalis = of or having roots, from radix = root + -ization; sense extended to extreme ideological change

📜 Etymology

From Latin radicalis ("of or having roots"), from radix ("root") + -ization; the root sense is "going to the fundamental cause" — hence "thoroughgoing, extreme"; in contemporary security studies, it refers particularly to online and offline processes that drive individuals toward terrorist ideologies.

🧠 Memory Hook

Think of a plant: radicalization drives someone back to the "radix" (Latin for ROOT) of an ideology, until their beliefs become extreme and uprooted from the mainstream.

🛡️ Internal Security 📖 Seen in: Internal Security — Threats, Cyber Sec...

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