Keyword: «radicalization»

The prevention of crimes motivated by hatred and enmity is a global problem due to the processes of globalization and the development of information technology. Of particular importance is the consideration and in-depth comprehensive analysis of various approaches to understanding such a negative social phenomenon as extremism. Special attention should be paid to that part of “extremism” that is associated with the commission of criminal acts based on any hatred or enmity. It is worth noting that it is in the criminal qualification of these acts that the most serious problems are associated with the application of measures to counter extremism in practice. Actions to combat extremism should include comprehensive measures to prevent and combat it. The main reason for the enthusiasm of certain individuals for extremist ideas is not the existence of relevant literature or the activities of extremist organizations - these phenomena only find favorable soil in the minds, sufficiently processed by the negative socio-economic state of society, which cannot be corrected only by legal methods with a suppressive bias.

The relevance of the study is due to the increased risk of high radicalization among students in the context of aggressive and destructive influences. The goal is to identify the psychological and pedagogical aspects of designing activities to prevent the radicalization of young people in universities, based on identifying risk groups among Russian and Belarusian students. The study was based on a resource approach. A combination of theoretical, empirical, and data processing methods was used in the study. The Student's t-test for independent samples was used to assess the significance of the differences. The empirical base included students from Russian and Belarusian universities (N = 64). An additional professional advanced training program for teachers and curators of student groups has been developed and tested, based on the principles of a resource-based approach. The results of the empirical part of the study did not reveal any risk groups in any of the studied samples, as the average numbers for all the scales of violent extremism were within the normal range. However, it was found that the average numbers for several scales and the overall tendency towards extremism were significantly higher among Russian students. The highest average values in the Russian sample were observed for the scales of «anti-intraception» and «conventional coercion», while in the Belarusian sample, the highest average values were observed for the scales of «anti-intraception» and «protest activity». Strong positive correlations were found in the Belarusian sample between a number of variables («cult of power» and «destructiveness and cynicism», «cult of power» and «protest activity», «destructiveness and cynicism» and «protest activity»). Strong positive correlations were found in the Russian sample only between the variables «protest activity» and «normative nihilism». Significant differences in the studied unrelated samples were found on the scales «cult of power»; «acceptability of aggression»; «intolerance»; «social pessimism». The significance of the differences was also found on the general indicator of the propensity to violent extremism. The novelty consists in identifying the specific features of the manifestations of the scales of violent extremism in comparison between the Russian and Belarusian samples of students. The theoretical significance lies in substantiating the resource approach as methodologically justified in the prevention of radicalization of student youth through the development of personal resources. The practical significance is determined by the effectiveness of the tested program «Risks and Resources for Ensuring the Safety of the Student's Personality in the University Educational Environment» and the readiness of the materials for implementation in the educational process.