Terrorism on the couch ‐ a psychoanalytic reading of the Oklahoma Disaster and its aftermath

Abstract

The date of 19 April 1995 will be remembered as a day on which a tragic event took place in Oklahoma. Argues that we need to go beyond a mere reading of the passionate convictions, the “rational” rhetoric and ideological arguments in trying to understand this act of terrorism and the aftermath reactions. In highly emotionally charged and anxiety‐producing environments of social conflict, one can also expect to encounter a number of psychodynamic processes ‐ such as projection, projective identification, splitting, idealization, stereotyping, narcissistic desire for the ego (group) ideal, denial and other defence mechanisms. Presents a representative text from the reporting of the Oklahoma bombing and its aftermath which is then read through the conceptual lenses of psychoanalytic theory. Highlights issues and behaviours that seem typically to arise in such disaster situations.