Report on Roles and Functions in Terrorist Groups as They Relate to the Likelihood of Exit

Over the past decade, there has been an increasing interest in understanding the reasons why individuals join terrorist organizations as well as the “radicalization” processes that may culminate in involvement in terrorist activity. This increase has been matched by the concomitant interest in the reasons why individuals involved in terrorism disengage and/or de-radicalize. Unearthing why and how individuals leave terrorist organizations may offer important insights as to which factors may deter involvement in terrorism in the first place, as well as what sorts of measures can encourage or facilitate disengagement once involvement has begun.