Shifts and continuity in contemporary violent extremism: Moving toward a dynamic and developmental understanding?

The “salad bar of ideologies” has emerged as a useful metaphor for the apparent fragmentation of contemporary violent extremism. Building on the discussion by Horgan and Shayler and the response by Baele, we argue that ideological hybridization and anti-modern grievances are not themselves novel. Rather, attention should be paid to what appears distinctive: the growing involvement of minors and young adults, the spread of dystopian worldviews, and the emergence of nihilistic violence that borrows symbols from established extremist traditions while lacking a coherent political project. Drawing on clinical experience and emerging Canadian evidence, we suggest that adolescence is characterized by movement across ideological positions and that contemporary cases are better understood along a developmental continuum linking coherent ideological commitments, hybrid forms of grievance, and de-ideologized nihilistic violence. We propose that these transformations reflect both a generational search for meaning under conditions of uncertainty and the convergence of populist mobilization with algorithmic exploitation of identity, recognition, and belonging. While process-oriented approaches offer a productive alternative to multiplying categories, we argue that they must incorporate a developmental and temporal perspective to inform prevention and intervention. Understanding trajectories, rather than static classifications, may provide a useful framework for responding to contemporary violent extremism.