Le terrorisme se développe. Comment dialoguer avec des adolescents qui pourraient être attirés par lui ?

L’auteur s’appuie sur des études de sociologues, historiens, juristes, psychanalystes, portant sur des génocidaires et des terroristes, sur leurs victimes, sur les adolescents actuels et leur fragilité, ainsi que sur son expérience auprès d’adolescents confrontés à leur mort possible.

Il faut être prudent car la question est nouvelle. Il n’y a pas de profil type, sociologique ou psychopathologique, mais des éléments qui peuvent déboucher sur bien d’autres issues que la radicalisation (c’est un argument contre le dépistage précoce) : des fragilités narcissiques et identitaires, des terreurs archaïques, réactivées à l’adolescence, des ruptures de continuité de l’histoire personnelle et familiale, le besoin de certitudes et de valeurs sacrées, dans un contexte de désarroi politique, économique, idéologique, religieux. La radicalisation se fait souvent dans leurs réseaux locaux ou familiaux. La préoccupation de la tentation terroriste doit être intégrée parmi nos autres préoccupations du mal-être actuel et futur (travail de prévention) des adolescents, en étant attentifs à nos contre-transferts et aux images du terrorisme qui nous encombrent. Fait aussi partie de nos tâches la participation à des discussions (complexes), dans leurs divers lieux, avec celles et ceux qui ne viendront pas nous voir.

La radicalisation n’est pas affaire de spécialistes. Sans fascination ni peur, nous devons nous y confronter dans notre travail auprès des enfants et des adolescents, troublés par les idéologies radicales, le terrorisme et les guerres barbares.

Terrorism is increasing. How can we talk with adolescents who could be tempted by it?

The author backs upon studies by sociologists, historians, lawyers, psychoanalysts on perpetrators of genocide or terrorism and on their victims, on present adolescents and their fragility, also on his experience with adolescents facing their possible death.

We need to be prudent because this issue is a new one. There is no typical sociological or psychopathological profile (this is an argument against early screening), but elements of fragility can often be found: fragility of narcissism and of identity, archaic terrors, which adolescence revives, breaks in their own and family history, their loneliness, their pervasive doubts and their need for certainty, for an almighty master, and for sacred values, in a context of political, economic, ideological, religious disarray. These elements can lead, soon or later, to many other outcomes than radicalization: various pathologies, but also various practices of creativity. There is a gap between each step of radicalization: expressing sympathy for the terrorists, contacting them, helping them in a way or another, joining a group or deciding to commit a terrorist act, committing it, going to the Middle-East, killing people there. The journey that leads to planning a terrorist act is a long one (even if radicalization may appear a short one), and the journey back will also be a very long one. Radicalization often occurs in family (siblings, brothers-in-law, uncles, etc.) and local networks, such as groups of out of school adolescents or unemployed young adults or of petty criminals, soccer or bodybuilding clubs, music or dance associations, etc. We should integrate the concern about the temptation of terrorism among our other concerns about the adolescents’ present and future unease, whatever the reason of their coming is. Our everyday clinical work is our participation in the prevention of the growth of terrorists’ temptation among adolescents and young adults. But we have to be attentive to our counter-transference and to the images of terrorism which hamper us. But only a few numbers of adolescents will contact us. Therefore, our task is also to participate in discussion groups in any place where the adolescents meet, even if it is difficult.

Radicalization is not a matter of specialists. Without fascination neither fear, all of us must cope with it, in our everyday work with children and adolescents in this world disturbed by radical ideologies, terrorism and barbaric wars.