Terror’s Motor : How Shame and Humiliation Turn the Spiral of Violence

This thesis examines the role of shame and humiliation as root causes of violence. The author focuses on violent far-right and Islamist extremism, but in order to gain a deeper understanding of the phenomenon, even gang violence and criminality are investigated. Through an ethnographic approach with thick description, the thesis attempts to capture insights, experiences and knowledge in the form of personal narratives of a variety of people – police officers, youths, researchers, psychologists, ex-cons and social workers. The investigation explores shame and humiliation as pivotal factors for violent behaviour. The concept of retributive justice, prevalent in many prisons around the world and in popular understandings of morality, is shown to be counter-productive. This has far-reaching implications for both the penal system and approaches to preventing radicalisation. As an alternative, the author argues for an approach of fostering human dignity as the most effective strategy for the prevention of violence and radicalisation. Inspired by Immanuel Kant’s essay ”Perpetual Peace”, this is called the perpetual dignity approach.