The Science Behind ISIS Savagery: 5 Ways Humans Become Hardwired for Violence

Islamic State militants stun the world with senseless acts of violence, with the public beheading of a journalist covering civil war in Syria as the most recent example. Such atrocities are not limited to Islamic extremists and have been waged by throughout history by many other religious fanatics and even governments, reminds Ian Robertson, professor of psychology in an essay for the Telegraph. He describes how the cycle of savagery and revenge: Cruel acts become routine as savagery compounds; a group becomes more important than individuals, and insiders demonize individuals. Leaders set examples, spurring followers who use that as rationale. Religious beliefs of any type can magnify the savagery, he writes: “Even when aggression against the other group is self-destructive – as we can see so tragically across the Middle East – religiously-based groups advocated a degree of aggression against their opponents which was absent in non-religiously defined groups.” Savagery passes for devotion when dull, criminal, marginalized young men pursue power and attention. – YaleGlobal