Title:
Cyberpsychological Indicators and Digital Pathways to Targeted Violence: A Behavioral Leakage and Online Radicalization Model

Authors:
Dr. Robb Shawe, Dr. Robert W. Clark, USA

Abstract:

Understanding the behavioral pathways that precede targeted violence remains a central challenge for threat assessment professionals and researchers. Increasingly, these pathways develop within digital environments where identity formation, grievance amplification, and behavioral signaling occur publicly. This study synthesizes threat assessment scholarship, cyberpsychology research, and radicalization studies to examine how online environments facilitate behavioral leakage and escalation toward targeted violence. Drawing on established models of warning behaviors, social identity dynamics, and online disinhibition, the article proposes a conceptual framework describing how digital interactions may contribute to the progression from grievance development to observable threat indicators. The framework highlights the interaction between psychological factors, online group dynamics, and behavioral signaling processes. Implications are discussed for threat assessment practitioners, law enforcement, and researchers seeking to identify early indicators of risk within digital ecosystems.

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.51505/ijaemr.2026.11213