Among the many pathways to violent extremism, trauma is a key factor in personal and collective violence in radicalisation studies. Trauma refers to an event or series of events that causes a person to be overwhelmed by a perceived threat, and the deep patterns of emotional distress that may result for the person. Over time, trauma alters brain structures and chemicals. It causes maladaptive responses to emotion, cognition, social interaction and behaviour. The risk for hostility, anger moderation difficulties and distrust also rises.
