The Awe Effect: How Radical Beliefs Take Hold in the Brain

Radicalization is not merely a learned process; it can become imprinted in an incredibly short window of time due to heightened neuroplasticity during awe-inducing events. Awe, as described by Keltner and Haidt (2003), is a profound psychological state that reshapes perception, forming deeply ingrained memories and cognitive structures. Just as one never forgets standing before the Grand Canyon, gazing upon the towering cathedrals of Europe, or walking the sacred grounds of Mecca, moments of awe can create an almost instantaneous and permanent transformation in worldview. Digital encounters bring such experiences to the mind dramatically and instantaneously.

This same mechanism applies to radicalization, leading to extreme overvalued beliefs (EOBs). Encounters with charismatic extremist figures can induce awe, leading to rapid and enduring ideological imprinting. These experiences function similarly to flashbulb memories but with deeper cognitive and emotional integration, called archetypal imprinting.

The Role of Awe in Memory and Ideological Commitment

Keltner and Haidt (2003) discuss awe as an emotional response to vastness that challenges one’s current mental schemas, requiring cognitive accommodation. This sense of vastness can be triggered by encounters with powerful individuals, grand ideological narratives, or immersive experiences that overwhelm our existing worldview. Awe plays a critical role in strengthening memory consolidation, making such experiences deeply ingrained in an individual’s psyche.

This psychological mechanism helps explain why radicalized individuals often recall their first exposure to extremist ideologies with striking clarity and conviction. Unlike simple flashbulb memories, which capture the context of emotionally salient events, archetypal imprinting embeds these experiences into fundamental cognitive structures that shape identity and behavior over time. This imprinting process plays a key role in the development of EOBs, rigidly held convictions caused by emotionally-laden events that become central to an individual's identity and actions.

The Neuroscience of Archetypal Imprinting and Extreme Overvalued Beliefs

Imprinting was first described by Konrad Lorenz as a process by which exposure during a critical window results in long-lasting attachment and behavioral fixations. Neuroimaging studies in birds have shown that long-term imprinting memories are stored across neural networks, including the hippocampus, medial striatum, and prefrontal-like nidopallium caudolaterale. In humans, analogous brain regions mediate emotionally salient experiences, synaptic plasticity, and memory consolidation.

In humans, emotionally laden experiences—particularly those encountered during adolescence—activate the amygdala, hippocampus, and prefrontal cortex, reinforcing fixation on ideological or extremist content. Donald Hebb’s work on neural reorganization suggests that persistent exposure to such content rewires synaptic networks, making certain beliefs feel immutable and self-evident.

Case Studies: Awe and Radicalization

Symbolic triggers and fixed action patterns

Radicalization is often accompanied by sudden shifts in behavior, in which an individual who has been ideologically primed for months or years suddenly decides to act. This phenomenon can be explained through amplified symbolic releasers and fixed action patterns. Ethologists describe fixed action patterns as pre-programmed behavioral sequences triggered by specific stimuli, also known as releasers. In the context of radicalization, these triggers—often symbolic in nature—can serve as the final catalyst for violent action.

Adolf Hitler and the Nazi movement

Adolf Hitler’s grand rallies, intense speeches, and theatrical propaganda created awe-inspiring spectacles that deeply imprinted Nazi ideology onto the minds of followers. The sheer scale of the events—vast crowds, dramatic lighting, and disciplined formations—amplified the experience, leading many to feel they were part of something historically significant and transcendent. This overwhelming awe facilitated deep ideological commitment and moral disengagement from atrocities.

Dylann Roof, the perpetrator of the 2015 Charleston church shooting, exemplifies how an individual can be awed by extremist ideology in a way that leads to violent action. Roof’s radicalization was heavily influenced by his exposure to white supremacist narratives online, particularly imagery and writings that framed white identity in existential crisis. As Nazi rallies overwhelmed audiences with grand symbolism, Roof's engagement with white nationalist propaganda provided him with a similar sense of historical urgency and significance. His online manifesto echoes themes of martyrdom and a perceived duty to act, reflecting how awe can foster EOBs that justify violence.

Awe Essential Reads

A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words, but How Many Feelings?

Death Is a Doorway to Awe

Anwar al-Awlaki and digital radicalization

Anwar al-Awlaki, a charismatic preacher, leveraged the digital age to evoke awe through his speeches, which were meticulously crafted to inspire a sense of vastness, urgency, and moral clarity. His ability to articulate complex ideological positions in a compelling narrative format heightened cognitive and emotional receptivity in his audience. Radicalized individuals, such as Fort Hood shooter Malik Hasan, cite their first encounter with his lectures as a transformative moment—a form of archetypal imprinting that reoriented their worldview toward extremist action. The belief structures they internalized became EOBs, shaping their decisions long after initial exposure.

Columbine and the copycat phenomenon

The 1999 Columbine High School massacre, perpetrated by Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, has become a dark outlaw archetype that continues to influence mass shooters. Many subsequent school shooters, including Nikolas Cruz and Adam Lanza, reportedly idolized the Columbine killers, viewing them as mythical figures of rebellion and destruction. Online communities dedicated to Columbine reinforce this archetypal imprinting, fostering a sense of awe and admiration that perpetuates violence. The way these shooters meticulously planned their attacks and left behind manifestos often mirrors the actions of Harris and Klebold, demonstrating the deep psychological imprint left by the original attack. The awe-inspired fixation on the Columbine shooters fosters EOBs that justify and glorify mass violence.

Future Interventions

1. Cognitive and emotional disruption techniques: Programs like The Body Project have successfully challenged overvalued beliefs seen in eating disorders by inducing cognitive dissonance. Similar methods could be harnessed to prevent extremist ideologies by having individuals actively debate and deconstruct their own worldviews.
2. Targeting neuroplasticity through alternative awe experiences: MDMA-assisted therapy (psychedelics) might someday show promise in reopening critical windows for social learning, potentially aiding the reduction of overvalued beliefs and entrenched ideologies in a highly neuroplastic state.