Every person, beginning in puberty and continuing for some time thereafter, makes up their mind about what they are living for. Most people make this decision quite consciously early in life and then stay the course.
However, they are often unaware of why they chose a certain religion, ideology, or philosophy.
The point is that people largely make decisions about their "purpose" in life based on their desire to be accepted members of their communities. For young people, it is of the utmost importance to be regarded as "high quality" among their peers, as their mating prospects depend on it. During puberty and in the years that follow, mating prospects are the one thing that matters most in life.
It is often just a trade-off: forgo mating opportunities in the short term, and thereby earn respect within your community. If you are well-respected (for your abstention), then your market value will rise, and your mating prospects later on will be better.
No matter how you look at it, the only thing that really matters, for young people as well as later in life, is mating opportunities. If awareness of this connection between esoteric decisions and biological drives becomes more widespread, more people—especially young people—will hopefully choose the direct approach (sexual liberation) rather than the indirect one (conforming to religious, ideological, or philosophical trends in order to improve their market value and later be rewarded with mating opportunities).
Members of IS do not torture because they are sadists. They torture and murder in front of cameras for a calculated reason: intimidation.
After IS burned a captured Jordanian pilot alive in a cage in 2014, the United Arab Emirates temporarily suspended its air missions.
If Western powers get involved on the ground, and IS captures just one soldier, tortures and murders him in front of a running camera, and disseminates the footage, public opinion in Western countries will likely swing against further involvement.
Within IS, a small circle runs the operation. Enthusiasm among followers for the religious cause is often lower than projected. Those who understand the power of intimidation use these tactics not only against external enemies but also within their own organization.
A person assigned as a suicide bomber, once he has agreed, will not be allowed to change his mind.
Blow yourself up and die an instant, painless death. Alternatively, we could subject you to excruciating torture over several days. And do not forget that we have your mother and younger sister, too, whom we can also subject to severe abuse.
Under normal circumstances, suicide is irrational, and a natural reaction is to withdraw at the last moment.
But under these extreme circumstances, it is perceived as much better to carry out a suicide attack than to endure the punishment for treason at the hands of IS—especially when the lives of one's family members are also threatened.
Now, go and carry out the attack as you were instructed.