Abstract
The article is devoted to the study and analysis of the phenomenon of “mental terrorism” and the factors that generate it. The article examines the principles of information-psychological influence and the mechanisms by which destructive narratives are introduced into youth consciousness, potentially destabilizing cognitive resilience and value orientations. The object of the study is the social environment of a student as an active user of social networks, which is typical for most young people, as well as other environmental factors caused by the spread and influence of mental terrorism in modern society. The subjects of the study are the personal characteristics of a young man, a student, which determine his mental state, the peculiarities of the perception of destructive information, cognitive abilities for critical thinking in a situation of exposure to mental terrorism factors. In addition, in the context of globalization and worldwide informatization, mental terrorism, as one of the types of modern information weapons, poses a serious threat to the foundations of the state, which contributes to the spread of destructive beliefs, the instillation of fear and uncertainty in society. The article provides a socio-psychological analysis of the process of youth socialization, which allowed us to study the mechanism of the formation of destructive attitudes in the personality structure. Keywords: mental terrorism, social networks, information, socialization, destructive behavior.