Leadership Expert Warns: ISIS Attracting Canadian Millennials in Search of Meaning

VANCOUVER, British Columbia - Sept. 24, 2014 - PRLog -- As grotesque as the imagery and stories of massacres and beheadings have been to citizens around the world, there is an appeal to the type of extremist ideology that ISIS represents for disillusioned members of the Millennial generation, said Dov Baron via phone from his Vancouver office.

Baron says the Millennial generation, those born after 1980 and up to 2004, exhibit a much stronger desire to be a part of something meaningful than did members of Gen X or Baby Boomers before them.

“For Millennials who don’t have the education or insight necessary, the desire to belong and the desire to do something they perceive as meaningful, can be stronger than the morality they grew up with,” says Baron.

He says that Millennials are the most electronically connected generation in history. He also points out they are often emotionally disconnected, and this fuels a heightened desire to belong to something. In positive ways, this manifests in joining community co-operation groups and an increased desire to be involved in collaborative efforts across social networks.

However, he says for Millennials who are poorly educated, and who are emotionally disenfranchised from their families and peer groups, this makes them strong candidates for indoctrination.

Baron says, “We’re seeing the worst examples right now with the ISIS extremist group attracting young people, though they’re also being indoctrinated into far right Christian groups and the like. They can be particularly vulnerable to ‘recruiters’ who understand the largely unconscious psychological desires and motivating forces of Millennials,” he says.

###

The bestselling author of several books, Dov Baron is an international speaker and a highly sought after private mentor who has been featured in numerous media including CEO World Magazine, Men’s Essentials Magazine, Elle Italia, The Boston Globe and CNN. His radio show and podcasts have generated over 1 million downloads, and his current podcast Leadership and Loyalty Tips for Executives is the #1 podcast for Fortune 500 Executives.

Dov Baron is available for media interviews.
His website is: http://www.DovBaron.com