Understanding Terrorism: A Review of the Psychosocial Theories

Abstract

Terrorism is a cause of uncertainty, fear, and damage for a country. Mostly represented stereotypically, terrorists are the reason for civil unrest worldwide. However, there are different approaches to describe the personality traits of a terrorist still this matter is highly debatable. This study aims to address terrorism from a psycho-social perspective. By describing the background dynamics of terrorism, the researchers extensively discussed the Social and Psychological reasons for adapting terrorism. The researchers discussed it in the light of different theories proposed by renowned psychologists and sociologists worldwide. Therefore, it is concluded that the psychological images of terrorists tend to reinforce social narratives which further lead to the creation of certain stereotyped attributions. In this regard, highlighting the adaptation of terrorism in the context of behaviorism can be of greater pertinence to effectively counteract this civil unrest.