Following the recent terror attacks in Lahore and Brussels, terrorist threats seem stronger than ever. According to the most recent Global Terrorism Index, terror-related deaths have surged from 3,329 in 2000 to 32,685 in 2014. The increasing presence of terrorism has resulted in a greater desire to learn why terrorists do what they do.

“There’s more urgency to understand [terrorists] and to identify them ahead of time,” explained Professor Frances Aboud, from McGill’s Department of Psychology.

For most people, it’s easier to believe that there is something mentally wrong with terrorists. They are dismissed as deranged, psychopathic, and sadistic. Using these labels helps create a safer distance between “them” and “us.” Unfortunately, modern social psychology has disproved these labels. 

A few well-known studies have gone on to show that ordinary, stable people are capable of inflicting mortal pain onto strangers. Take for instance, the results from Dr. Stanley Milgram’s experiment, which showed that study participants were willing to consistently obey an authority figure—even when obedience called for administering lethal electric shocks delivered to others. Milgram’s ‘obedience to authority’ study is often used to illustrate that anyone can be influenced to commit violent acts against strangers. While many would like to believe that terrorists are monstrous creatures, Milgram’s experiment (and others) demonstrates that the average person can be induced into perpetrating extreme violence.

While there are different variations of terrorism around the world, it is notable that many terrorists are drawn in during adolescence and many become absolutely dedicated to a cause.

Adolescence can be a psychologically difficult time, as identity and a sense of belonging are more valued as an adolescent develops. For example, in adolescence, it is common to associate with a particular band or TV show (think: Harry Potter Potterheads), which can become a part of an individual’s sense of identity. Religion also can, and often does, play a role in developing identity, as there are fundamental principles that one can follow to shape their sense of self. Aboud notes that while there’s nothing wrong with fighting or identifying oneself with a cause, trouble develops when the cause becomes violent.

“It’s easy to tip from the fundamentalism to thinking that you’re absolutely right and the others are absolutely wrong,” Aboud said. “This is a really childish way of thinking about things.”

One of Aboud’s main research focuses is child development and racial prejudices. She notes that at a young age, children are prejudiced towards people that look different from them; however, by the age of 8, children have generally outgrown their black-and-white world and begin to process more advanced themes like fairness and truth. Aboud explains that this childish way of thinking can be brought back, even in adulthood.

“There’s a lot of people who pick it up later in life,” Aboud said. “Even though they can think properly, they go back to thinking in a very dichotomous, black-and-white childish way and that’s just because it suits them ideologically for whatever reason.”

Creating a strong sense of otherness yields a lack of compassion, which can evolve into acts of hate and terror under the right circumstances. It’s important to note that this childish way of thinking is not only present in terrorist groups.

“Although we often think of Islamic extremists and Islamaphobes as being diametrically opposed, the two are inextricably intertwined,” psychologists S. Alexander Haslam and Stephen Reicher explained to Scientific American.

Many terrorist groups and politicians feed off each other to draw support for themselves. The noxious relationship, scholars have recently termed ‘co-radicalization,’ fuels frightening consequences, and new leads, for understanding how extremists are made.