Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs
Copyright © 2003 University of Maryland.
All rights reserved.
Revised: June 30, 2003
HOW DO DANGEROUS GROUPS RECRUIT?
- Foot-in-the-door technique - Progressive stages of recruitment
Dangerous groups employ intentional strategies which bring about the
increasing involvement of individuals. These tactics are progressive,
incremental, and they usually employ peers.
Many of the recruits to dangerous groups are between the ages of 18 and 24.
These groups are well aware that the college years involve testing, exploration,
questioning of personal beliefs and values, and distance from families and home
support systems. Group recruiters target colleges and universities, particularly
during times of high student stress, such as periods preceding exams and
holidays, as well as earlier in the school year.
Recruitment efforts often have an innocuous beginning which may come in the form
of a conversation about philosophy, religion or politics, or an invitation to
attend a social function, a meeting, or a discussion group. The strategies are
progressive however, and employ intentional rewards (e.g, acceptance and
appreciation), lots of peer attention, and increasing isolation.
Experts on dangerous groups speculate that all of us are to some degree
vulnerable to such recruitment strategies. Most college students who become
involved in dangerous groups are comparatively normal and healthy, and have
the same problems and conflicts as their peers.
