Fanatic

High school (ages 12+)
Thinking & Learning

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/fanatic

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the psychological drivers?Need for certainty, belonging, identity fusion, and cognitive biases like confirmation bias
2. What is the historical examples?Religious crusades, political revolutions, totalitarian regimes, and social reform movements
3. Why do people become fanatics?People can become fanatics when they want certainty, feel they belong to a group, or feel threatened by something else. They also look for information that agrees with them and ignore other ideas, which makes their belief stronger.
4. How can fanatics help or hurt society?Fanatics can help society by working hard for good causes, like fighting for equality or protecting the planet. But they can also cause problems when they become stubborn and refuse to listen to others, leading to fights or unfair treatment.

Cognitive Bias: A systematic pattern of deviation from norm or rationality in judgment.
Confirmation Bias: The tendency to search for, interpret, favor, and recall information in a way that confirms one's preexisting beliefs.
Radicalization: The process by which an individual or group comes to adopt extreme political or religious ideals enthusiastically.
Ideology: A system of ideas and ideals, especially one which forms the basis of economic or political theory and policy.