Countering Extremism Directive (CED)

To change hearts and minds, we first must learn to access them.

Overview

The Mindbridge Countering Extremism Directive (CED) emerges in response to a concerning resurgence of terrorist attacks, particularly those driven by xenophobia, racism, and other forms of intolerance. Between 2010 and 2021, government tracking agencies documented a 95% increase in the number of hate and anti-government extremist groups operating in the U.S.1, with nearly 50% of all violent attacks in 2021 linked to extremist ideological movements.2 A 2022 report by the United Nations Security Council highlights how Member States now perceive this brand of terrorism as the fastest-growing or most prominent domestic security threat.3
Recognizing the limitations of conventional methods such as policing and surveillance,5,6 Mindbridge has created the CED to shift focus towards psychological approaches. Its goals are twofold. First, to identify new, more effective approaches using psychological insight to disengage extremist sentiment, with a specific emphasis on Racially and Ethnically Motivated Forms of Violent Extremism (REMVE) within the U.S. Second, the directive aims to develop methods to foster community resilience, thereby mitigating the further proliferation of extremist sentiment. Through these targeted efforts, the CED seeks to confront and address the growing threat posed by extremism in contemporary society.
Notably, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has identified domestic violent extremism, often rooted in xenophobia and racial resentment, as a significant terrorism-related menace to the United States.4 While violent extremism spans the sociopolitical ideological spectrum, attacks perpetrated by those supporting far-right ideology have surpassed other movements of late in both frequency and lethality.2

Current Research Objectives

In the last decade, there has been a dramatic rise in extremism and, concerningly, violent extremism within the U.S. Numerous media outlets have explored the startling rise in terror-related plots and the conditions that fuel them. Uncertainty, changing socioeconomic standards, and fears over personal and societal security have led to a contagious spread of radicalization that has been fueled, in part, by social media platforms and hyperbolic distortion of societal changes.

But to understand and prevent this wave, we must understand the psychological and neuroscientific mechanisms that belie its origins.

The ongoing research project, "Exploring Domestic Extremism” delves into the intricate dynamics underlying the promotion of political extremism. The particular focus of the ongoing work is to observe and analyze the influence of the collective efforts of “everyday individuals” in perpetuating such narratives within their communities. Through a combination of one-on-one interviews, focus groups, and an upcoming national survey, our research seeks to explore the underlying psychological drivers of extremism within community contexts, shedding light on the ideologies and motivations of domestic extremist groups. 

Ultimately, the project aims to identify potential points of intervention for countering extremist ideologies, informing the development of psychology-informed and evidence-based approaches to mitigating the impact of extremism. That is, to use scientific approaches and current societal awareness to reduce radicalization, inform strategic policy, and counter domestic terrorism to ultimately save lives and further victimization of marginalized groups.

“This is a psychological crisis, and an effective response must be built on psychological science, social resilience, and a commitment to rebuilding belonging in fractured communities.”
— Laura Ligouri, Mindbridge Founder

The Psychology Behind Radicalization

Understanding the pathways to radicalization requires careful consideration of the psychological mechanisms that underpin the perpetuation of extremist ideologies—the vulnerabilities, identities, and intergroup processes that chip away at people's sense of purpose and belonging. 

At the core of our psychological approach to understanding radicalization is people's drive to re-establish feelings of personal significance following actual or perceived threats to their sense of meaning or belonging in society, a process known as significance quest. 7,8 While numerous social, economic, and political factors can fuel feelings of insignificance, including actual or perceived societal injustices, social isolation, economic disparity, and threats to one's status among others, all promote feelings of vulnerability. Such vulnerabilities activate a motivational state whereby individuals engage in behaviors aimed at affiliating with like-minded others and re-establishing one's sense of purpose or meaning. 

Extremist movements capitalize on this motivational state, empowering those seeking purpose or meaning by connecting them with a community that not only validates their feelings of frustration or insignificance but also offers them a ready explanation for their grievances and ways to reaffirm their social significance – one that promotes dichotomized us-vs.-them thinking and fuels outgroup antagonism.

Past Work Within the State of Maine

Hate groups maintain an active presence within the state of Maine. According to the 2021 annual report issued by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), four known hate groups are publicly practiced within the state, three of which are active state-wide. However, a common misconception when thinking about growing extremism within the U.S. is that extremism or the promotion of extremist sentiments is due to a few “bad guys.”

This position conceptually isolates the presence of extremism to a select few individuals, negating how extremist sentiment becomes diffused within our communities and avoiding responsibility for contending with this growing threat. What was once considered extremist sentiment found only at the fringes of society has reached the mainstream within the United States, including within the state of Maine.

This report offers a brief overview of the psychology of extremism. Here, we provide an initial synthesis of the literature, orienting the discussion on the growing extremist sentiment within the U.S. We then explore the path of deradicalization, highlighting lessons from clinical psychology and methods we might utilize within our own communities. Finally, we offer a brief discussion on future avenues of work Mindbridge is considering.

This is an active area of exploration and a topic that cannot be approached by one organization alone. In part, this report is being developed to begin a discussion within Maine, local area organizations, and state agencies. We hope this work helps to deepen the understanding of growing extremist sentiment within the state and catalyze collective efforts within our communities.

References

  1. Miller, C., & Carroll Rivas, R. (2021). The Year in Hate and Extremism. Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC)

  2. Doxsee, C., Jones, S. G., Thompson, J., Halstead, K., & Hwang, G. (2022). Pushed to Extremes: Domestic Terrorism amid Polarization and Protest. Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).

  3. Security Council Examines Rising Terrorism Threat Globally. (2022). United Nations Security Council.

  4. Homeland Threat Assessment. (2025). Office of Intelligence and Analysis, United States Department of Homeland Security. 

  5. Aggarwal, N. K. (2019). Questioning the current public health approach to countering violent extremism. Global Public Health: An International Journal for Research, Policy and Practice, 14(2), 309–317.

  6. Mazerolle, L., Eggins, E., Cherney, A., Hine, L., Higginson, A., & Belton, E. (2020). Police programmes that seek to increase community connectedness for reducing violent extremism behaviour, attitudes and beliefs. Campbell Systematic Reviews, 16(3).

  7. Kruglanski, A. W., Molinario, E., Jasko, K., Webber, D., Leander, N. P., & Pierro, A. (2022). Significance-quest theory. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 17(4), 1050–1071.

  8. Da Silva, C., Trottier, D., Amadio, N., Domingo, B., Sarg, R., & Benbouriche, M. (2024). Significance Quest: A Meta-Analysis on the Association Between the Variables of the 3N Model and Violent Extremism. Trauma, violence & abuse, 25(2), 1184–1200