To foster a more in-depth understanding of the psychological
processes leading to terrorism, the author conceptualizes
the terrorist act as the final step on a narrowing
staircase. Although the vast majority of people, even when
feeling deprived and unfairly treated, remain on the ground
floor, some individuals climb up and are eventually recruited
into terrorist organizations. These individuals believe
they have no effective voice in society, are encouraged
by leaders to displace aggression onto out-groups,

Reconciliation in the aftermath of the history of violent conflict in Rwanda is approached as part of a set of deeply interrelated issues, such as individual and social suffering, justice, remembering and forgetting, truth-telling accountability, forgiveness, trauma therapy, socio-therapy, human rights, and development. The article is based on literature study, conversaions with people of all walks of life in Rwanda, and six years of research experience in this country of one of the authors.

This article illustrates the opinion that a bottom-up recondliatim requires, in addition to a top-down legal and political agreement between the parties, a complementary educational and social-psychological process. After an intractable conflict such a process will help the people involved to work through and let go of hatred, the desire for revenge, the mistrust, and the pain that were imprinted as a result of the conflict. A successful synchronisation of these two processes could diminish the danger of a renewed outburst of violence.

Every program runs into difficulties or must cope with difficult situations. These can vary from conflicts with staff members of the partner organisation, to the inability of participants to cross military checkpoints, or even engine trouble with the buses bringing the participants. There are some preventative measures that could prove useful: