A Systematic Review of the Risk and Protective Factors for Processes Associated with Islamist Radicalization and Extremism

Islamist radicalization is a global phenomenon and is currently a major subject of concern. Our objective is to systematically review the literature for evidence exploring risk and protective factors for and against Islamist radicalization. The following databases PsycINFO, Web of Science, Embase, PubMed and Google Scholar (complementary research) were systematically searched for English and WISO for German papers. The results of the review lend support to the notion that accumulated risk factors in the absence of protective factors may accelerate the process of Islamist radicalization. Consensus is increasing in respect to the empirical evidence that there is neither a typical set of characteristics nor a specific personality profile those individuals who come to islamistically radicalize share. Despite this heterogeneity, the current review captures eight domains of risk and protective factors for Islamist radicalization.