Research Paper on "Role of Religion in Terrorism and Identity"

Research Paper 25 pages (7893 words) Sources: 14 Style: APA

[EXCERPT] . . . .

The different pieces of identity formation take place within a person in the form of sense to be unique, the sense to be continuous, together with the sense to be affiliated. The process of formation of identity influences the individual identity through the mechanisms, which the person thinks, or perceives his life while independent (van Stekelenburg, 2014). The processes of identity formation are all geared towards framing a whole that has been put together by different differentiated facets, most of which are observable while others are discrete. It is through this phase of identity formation that even the external factors become imperative in the formation of this whole. Kerpelman (2006) in the end, what is formed is a whole that is indivisible, stable, and active. The attributes of the whole are characteristics of the differentiated parts, most of which are external. For instance, various researchers, Kerpelman (2006), Indicate that the religious teachings are strong towards informing people on how they are supposed to behave, made decisions, and the do's and don't's within a society.

People access and possess social identity together with group identity through their affiliations. The aspect of self-concept refers to the total of an individual's knowledge together with an understanding of the self. In a society, people are affiliated with different structural organizations. Within this organizations and groups, they are absorbed into the attributes of self-concept as a group. Some of the basic characteristics developed in such a case include the acceptance of habits, ideas, and beliefs, all of which are psychological, social, and physical in nature. For instance, Kerpelman (2006) indicates that any person coming from the Middle East, a place with known and rampant idealistic movements would certainly be affected by the attributes purported by this society. In the Middle East, some 'weird' cultures have become part of life. An example is given by Kerpelman (2006) indicating that a child can be trained by the society alone to become something different even from what other aspects of life teach. Thus, the social identity is very imperative of the influence of a person's attitudes and decision-making processes (Hossain, 2008).

Likewise, the ethnic identity has its pathway through which it is formed. This identity comes with being identified as a certain ethnic group. Certain aspects of common genealogy and modes of ancestry to be propagated from one stage of life to another characterize an ethnic group (Hossain, 2008). It is certain to state that the ethnic attributes influence an individual's decision-making process and other mechanisms of interaction with the society. Some radicalization activities appear to be enjoined to other ethnic practices. In fact, the teachings of a certain ethnic group might be against the teachings of another ethnic group, yet they become the code of life for the people in such a group. Thus, aspects of radicalization are also present even with people possessing ethnic identity (Schori-Eyal, & Kruglanski, 2015).

With a national identity, members of a given nation have this aspect of identity. A nation has its guiding principles in the form of ethics, rules and regulations, goals and objectives, mission and vision, together with the laws and the constitutions. Every country in the world has these tributes, one or the other (Smith, 2008). In formalized or non-formalized society, much is attributed to the universal aspects that have to be followed for the sake of cohesion and stability in the living styles. These attributes of a nation will always inform the decisions and actions of its citizens (Smith, 2008). The evolution of a nation brings with it citizens who are bound to live within the limitations set by the national leadership of that nation (Smith, 2008). Thus, the national identity is significant since its attributes are shared by the people, and are practiced by the same people. In the meantime, the people become homogeneous to the guidelines to be followed to make life better at all times (Postmes et al. 2005).

The formation of the religious identity is also sentimental to the interactions and ordinance of intuition among the people. This is rather a famous and common aspect of identity that is instrumental in the development of a model of interaction and behavior of people in the world. Even with people with no specific religious body, they still belong to the atheist religion, which in itself has its teachings and aspects to be followed (van Stekelenburg, 2014).

Liles (2012) indicates that the religious identity is one of the identities in the world that has had numerous controversies and conflicts between themselves. One religious identity has the possibility of clashing with another identity. The ideological differences come with the attributes given to the people in the form of teachings and regulations. A person who exists within a given religious movement or group is certain to develop and grow under the principles of that group. Liles (2012) has identified some processes that take place in the formation of identity, based on the religious force in place. Religion exists as an ordinance that teaches its followers to absorb a certain code of living, manifesting the mechanisms that people should perceive the other people, the environment, and how they should relate to them. They also include how they observe their individual life, how they should treat the divine belief, and the mechanisms of remaining within the realms of respecting the divine teachings (Liles, 2012). The teachings that perpetuate the attributes of the identity are given in the form of daily practices that must be attained. It is through these teachings that a person develops the identity and grows with it (Hossain, 2008).

Theories of Identity and Identity Formation

Social Movement Theory

This is a theory that has a correlation with identity and the formation of identity among people. The theory is a basic explanation derived from an interdisciplinary investigation of the society through a scientific means to determine the reasons behind the formation and activity of social mobilizations. The theory explores on the circumstances under which social mobilizations occur, the imminent impacts on the society and the people, and the mannerisms through which these mobilizations manifest in the society today (Hossain, 2008). The theory focuses on the study of the social movements as is done in the modern study of the contentious politics. The social movement theory dates back to the 1900s when sociologists were trying to derive the nature of the social movements regarding individual participation and the outcomes. The basis of the theory is to find reasons behind the social movements. Are these movements necessitated by the emotions of the people as they try to respond to the forces of nature like the social economy, most of which are outside their control (Hossain, 2008).

Liles (2012) indicates that the reasons behind the social movement of the people are attributed to the derivation of identity that tries to make people achieve their needs in the society. The theory studies some other concepts like the collective behavior and the relative deprivation that was common in the olden society. Liles (2012) has done more research on the theory of social movement and realized that the theory is derived from a collective behavior point-of-view and is necessitated by accolades that have been made unavailable to the people. The nature of the relative deprivation makes people venture into movements, especially when what has been denied has brought some sense of inequality. Moreover, the aspect of the movement is also initiated by the stoppage of the flow of normally regarding development that has been the main theme and a boost of life (McGregor, Hayes, & Prentice, 2015). Concisely, the social movement theory explains the reasons why people engage in mobilization movements in the society. The formation of the identity of such people arises from the fact that they can come together, marginalized or deprived of something or many things, and hence making rational decisions that affect them directly and indirectly (Hossain, 2008).

The Social Movement Impact Theory

This theory is almost social movement theory. However, it focuses specifically on the impact of the social movement theory. The impact of the social movement impact theory is definitive of the strategies of the formation of identity among the participants. The impacts of the social movement theory are related to the society or the environment of action. The impacts of the movement are notable in individuals, political systems in the society, the cultures, and the institutions, among others (Smith, 2008). For this reason, such movements are crucial in defining the society. The impacts of the social movement theory are also notable in changing or transcending through the history and the culture and the people in the society. Several issues arise when it comes to the methodologies of the social movement impact theory. In the recent understanding of many social movements, Hossain (2008) indicates that these movements are related and have always been claimed to spark cases of violence efficacy. The general benefits of the political allies… READ MORE

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