Paris is in lockdown tonight after a series of bombings and gun attacks that killed more than 100 people at six separate scenes.
We're learning more at this hour about.
A mass shooting in San Bernardino, California, about an hour east of Los Angeles.
Now we have two suspects, both dressed in black.
It is clear that the two of them had gone down the dark path of radicalization, embracing a perverted interpretation of Islam that calls for war against America and the west.
They had stockpiled assault weapons, ammunition, and pipe bombs.
So this was an act of terrorism designed to kill innocent people.
Every time theres a terrorist attack, we ask ourselves what motivates people to do this?
The attacks seem barbaric, nihilistic, but is it that simple?
Is that whats really going on?
On this weeks podcast, we explore the psychology of international terrorist organizations and why so many young people join them.
Battlefield experiments conducted with fighters for ISIS and al Qaeda reveal patterns in the mental makeup of terrorists.
We'll use the lens of anthropologist Scott Attran to explore the strange hold these organizations have on young minds.
Once you lock into these values, they're immune to social pressures.
They're not norms.
That is, even if your best friends, your family, your loved ones are against you, you will not see an exit strategy.
We'll also examine the phenomenon president Obama calls radicalization.
Is it driven by shadowy recruiters or by what israeli psychologist Ariel Merari would describe as peer pressure?
In university cafeterias?
In the university's cafeteria, he says, hey, you know, I'm also willing to do it.