Psychology Of Terrorism Research Articles

Psychology of Terrorism: Intimidation by Destroying One’s Own Life in the Donetsk Basin

The article presents the psychological genesis of terrorism in eastern Ukraine, referred to as the Donetsk Basin, during the Soviet era, which resulted from prioritising coal over the lives of Ukrainians affected by famine, executions, evictions and repression imposed by Russians. The replacement of the ethnic composition of the population by people from Russia led to the formation of a group of colonisers of Ukraine. This required creating an atmosphere of constant tension, fear and criminalised violence. As a consequence, the Donetsk Basin has become a favourable environment for Russians and their supporters, who were potentially prone to terrorist acts, and the most dangerous category of such persons — suicide bombers. The paper describes the emergence of a wave theory concerning terrorism in Europe, radical movements in Ireland, Macedonia, Serbia, Italy and Spain, as well as the current state of terrorism in Italy, Germany, Japan and many other countries. It covers the first terrorist act of Russia’s hybrid war against Ukraine near the village of Kamyanka, in the Donetsk region, where a checkpoint of the Armed Forces of Ukraine was attacked by a suicide bomber using a minibus loaded with explosives. It was also a place where other similar terrorist acts took place and the manifesto of Australian terrorist Brenton Tarrant was distributed in the centre of Ukraine by a terrorist group from the Russian Federation in order to involve prone persons in subversive activities on racial and religious grounds. The study was created using a nonparametric typology, based on the analysis of at least two parameters: the nuclei of vulnerabilities (targets of influence) and the features of intrapsychic formations arising under their influence. This allowed identifying five psychotypes of potential suicide bombers: of a person who has lost emotional connection with the outside world; of a fanatic of faith, associated with the activation of ‘mortido’ — the desire for death; of a fanatic of an idea, which considers the cessation of life as a spiritual transformation, and martyrdom as an integral element of the spiritual path; of a potential suicide bomber associated with extreme manifestations of protest behaviour; persons with psychopathic changes in personality structure. The paper establishes the prevalence of these psychotypes and comparative possibilities of influencing each of them.

Recruitment Process in Salafi-Jihadist Groups in the Middle East (A Qualitative Study).

Studies on the psychology of terrorism and fundamentalism place great importance on the role of groups, with a central concept of "us" versus "them." The present study examines how and why Salafi-jihadist groups in the Middle East have attracted typical citizens. The participants in this qualitative study were unremarkable Kurdish people living near the western borders of Iran with an allegiance toward Salafi-jihadist groups. We selected 12 people for the purposes of this study. Findings indicate that "group adaptation" and "rejection of the other" are the two overarching themes pointed out by the participants. Group adaptation included four sub-themes: (a) Idealization of, plus identification and assimilation with the leader, (b) developing strong group bonds, (c) direct and nonhierarchical agency of the individual in the group, and (d) group hypnotic suggestion. The "rejection of the other" included two sub-themes: (a) in-group rejection (reducing legitimate Islam to Salafism) and (b) out-group rejection (rejection of non-Muslims). The results of the study highlight the importance of a sense of belonging to the group in the process of recruitment and assimilation of individuals into jihadist groups. Findings also indicate that the concepts of adaptation and rejection play a pivotal role in the formation of fundamentalist Salafi-jihadist groups and resultant violence. We discuss the implications of group analysis for possible ways to counterterrorism.

SOCIO-PSYCHOLOGICAL APPROACHES TO THE DEFINITION OF TERRORISM

The results of a theoretical and empirical study of the definition of “terrorism” have been presented. As a result of the analysis of works devoted to the psychology of terrorism, five approaches to the definition of terrorism have been distinguished: terrorism as a form of activity; terrorism as a communicative strategy; terrorism as a form of war; terrorism as a form of conflict; terrorism as a form of extremism. Respondents’ associations related to the concept of “terrorism” have been analysed. Three groups of associations with this consept have been emphasized: characteristics, motivations, and consequences of terrorism. Characteristics are related to the assessment of terrorism, the identity of the terrorist, and attitudes to terrorism. Motivations are divided into personal, interpersonal and social. The consequences are manifested at the level of the individual, social group and society. The classification is based on the orientation of associations: negative, neutral (ambiguous) and positive (exculpatory). Emotional, rational and value components of the attitude to terrorism also have been highlighted.

Countering Terrorism in Iraq: Law and Practice

After several years of fighting the international terrorist organization «Islamic State», the anti-terrorist coalitions headed by the Russian Federation and the USA managed to tip the scale in their favor in 2017. There is extensive research on how different countries counteract this most well-known of all modern international terrorist organizations. However, as Western criminologists note (Alex Braithwaite, Shane D. Johnson), there are very few empirical works that study the causes of decline and growth of terrorist activities as well as the emergence and disappearance of hot spots in Iraq itself during the American military campaign. On the whole, the overview of publications has revealed (Gary LaFree, Joshua D. Freilich) that out of over than 20 thousand articles on terrorism published between 1971 and 2004, only seven were devoted to empirical (criminological) research, while others dealt with the psychology of terrorism. The situation started to change in recent years and a large number of empirical (criminological and criminal law) studies of terrorism has been published, which is connected with the growing financial support of such research by national research foundations and state departments (for example, the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Defense in the USA). Thus, about 100 books devoted to such studies have been annually published in the USA in the last decade. As for Russian criminal law policy, this article is one of the few devoted to countering terrorism in the motherland of «Islamic State» – in Iraq. The authors analyze Iraqi anti-terrorism legislation, in particular, Law № 13 of 2005, draw attention to an excessively wide definition of terrorism that it contains, conclude that its clause of analogy is incompatible with the principle of legality and argue that this normative act is one of the most drastic anti-terrorism laws in the world. The authors believe that an important direction in fighting terrorism is the decision of Iraqi authorities to establish a special tribunal for terrorist crimes, such as genocide against the Yazidis, and criminal prosecution of perpetrators who are outside Iraq, including those in Russian territory. They prove that the terrorist crimes against «infidels», qualified by many specialists and international organizations as crimes against peace and humanity, should mainly be the subject of proceedings in an independent court body of the international community.

Missing developmental and sociocultural perspectives: Comment on the "Psychology of Terrorism" special issue (2017).

Two critical perspectives were missing from the special issue entitled "Psychology of Terrorism": developmental and sociocultural. From a developmental point of view, the fact that most individuals who engage in terrorist groups or terroristic acts are young men is critically important. Perspectives from adolescent development, neuroscience, and social psychology can shed light on why this is the case. In addition, sociocultural perspectives are needed to answer important community-level questions, such as why some communities are more prone to having youth recruited for terrorism than others. From these perspectives, it is possible to see clearly how discrimination, social oppression, and victimization lead to negative developmental outcomes such as terrorist acts. Lastly, understanding individual and community level resilience against terrorism is necessary. (PsycINFO Database Record

Psychology of terrorism: Introduction to the special issue.

Despite the extraordinary social and political consequences often associated with terrorist violence, as well as our responses to it, psychological research on terrorist behavior is conspicuously underdeveloped. This special issue of American Psychologist presents a series of articles that showcase new conceptual, theoretical, and empirical advances in our understanding of terrorism. In doing so, it seeks to not merely summarize recent accomplishments, but to highlight the immense value of explicitly psychological research on these issues, far more of which is called for to realize the potential for informing solutions. (PsycINFO Database Record

Book Review: The psychology of terrorism

Book Review: <i>The psychology of terrorism</i>

Beyond Fear: The Psychology of Terrorism

Beyond Fear: The Psychology of Terrorism

The Psychology of Terrorism: Understanding and Implication for Policies

Compared with general public, terrorists do not exhibit unusually high rates of clinical psychopathology, irrationality, or personality disorders. The backgrounds of the terrorists are very diverse and there is no one set profile. In fact, barring lone wolf terrorism, there does not seem to be much link with personality or psychopathology.

The Psychology of Terror, American Exceptionalism, and the Greek God Pan

This study strives to contribute to a better understanding of contemporary anxieties in American culture by applying meanings derived from mythology to panic inducing cultural phenomena. It asks if the Greek god Pan and his retinue ofnymphs metaphorically exemplify an archetypal core within an American cultural anxiety complex. The principal technical device used is Jung’s method of amplification, rendering cultural material at a more psychologically substantial level.This hermeneutic research views primary sources for and commentaries on the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 and the American reactions that followed. A faulty belief in American exceptionalism is examined for its contribution to thereactions by the American government and its citizens. Some consequences of American exceptionalism, as seen in reactions to 9/11, are clarified through a correlation with a metaphoric reading of Pan, the Greek nature god. Pan’s compulsion into life is considered to be a symbolic expression of an archetype that was once alive in the bold spirit of America, but has rusted into paralysis due to a lack of initiative towards contemporary problems. It was as if the government of the Unites States, starting at the top, had decided that the terrorist outrages of September 11, 2001, meant that law, custom and decency had all been suspended sine die. (Hodgson, 2009, p. 127) History …is a nightmare from which I am trying to awaken. (Joyce, 1961, p. 34)

Response to Marc Sageman's “The Stagnation in Terrorism Research”

Dr. Sageman makes a good point that despite the influx of government funding in the last decade, terrorism scholars have not been able to answer what he calls a “simple question”—what leads a perso...

Terrorism Psychology: Theory &amp; Application

Since the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Centre and the emergence of Al Qa’ida as a global terrorist threat, the theory and application of terrorism psychology has become a major interdisciplinary research area. With the intensification of home-grown terrorism at a time of resurgent levels of anti-Western rhetoric and global violence, security policy is focused upon maximizing efficiency in counter terrorism practices at local, national and international levels. Recent terrorist campaigns have shown that acts of terrorism have moved towards indiscriminate, mass impact activities that are often combined with targeted secondary attacks to maximize impact, attract worldwide media coverage, undermine public life, and generate fear. For successful counter-terrorism initiatives must integrate fundamental research with applied methods and approaches grounded in the practical issues faced by security personnel in the field. More specifically, research agendas are focused on: the psychology of terrorism by investigating contributing and causal factors of terrorism and the motivations and behaviours of those engaged in hostile intent; a broader view of the social factors and systems perspective of terrorism to improve emergency planning and response; and practical and useful techniques to be implemented in surveillance technologies and counter-terrorism policies. This special issue was motivated through involvement in a strategic security consortium ‘Shades of Grey’ funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) (EP/H02302X/1) from 2010 to 2013. Shades of Grey emerged in response to the requirement for novel surveillance interventions that elicit robust, reliable and usable indicators of notable behaviours in crowded public areas. A further aim is that counter-terrorism interventions should not frustrate, degrade, or restrict the general user experience of public spaces. Given the remit of the Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology this special issue focuses on a very specific aspect of criminal behaviour (e.g., terrorism) and the application of psychology and related disciplines to effective correctional practices (e.g., counter-terrorism policies and practises). However, in doing so the overriding principle is that terrorism shares attributes with many lower and more common forms of crime (e.g., pick-pockets, petty theft, burglary). Just as petty criminals will survey a public space for security measures and vulnerable targets, terrorists conduct hostile reconnaissance in the planning of an attack in a public space. The guest editors invited authors representing a number of disciplines including psychology, criminology, sociology, political science, ergonomics/human factors, art and media, engineering and computer science to contribute knowledge to this area of criminal psychology. Although the papers focus on counter-terrorism, they interpret and translate the problem in different ways ranging from social theory, applied and social psychology, interaction design, and user-centred approaches. The articles comprising this special issue explore the spectrum of terrorism psychology across a number of highly original themes such as: conceptualising terrorism; deception and interrogation; social, cultural and contextual factors in terrorism; and user-centred approaches for counter-terrorism. The authors of the collection of papers illustrate and discuss aspects of terrorist activities, hostile intent, and suspicious behaviour to inform counter-terrorism initiatives. A. W. Stedmon (*) Cultural, Communications and Computing Research Institute, Sheffield Hallam University, Sheffield S1 2NU, UK e-mail: alex.stedmon@nottingham.ac.uk

P-660 - Causal connection between terrorism and mental illness

This research examines the connections between mental illness and terrorism. Most Social scientists have discounted a causal relationship between mental illness and terrorism. This is not necessarily always the case within terrorism studies, the media, or political circles where the psychology of terrorism is often expressed in the language of mentalisms, and theories of pathologisation continue to exist. This research reaffirms the view that more than half of the cases have certain mental illnesses; there is there is about 15%of the sample had show no any psychopathology. The individual terrorist’s motivations can be explained by other factors, including behavioral psychology or may a scapegoat as cold be inferred from certain cases with mental retardation. However, there may be a connection between an individual engaging in terrorist activity and developing a mental disorder[s]. Certain Stressors that occur because of terrorist activity may result in psychological disturbance in terrorist individuals. These factors may partially explain terrorist group instability and should be taken into account when detaining and interrogating terrorist suspects

Monstrous Children as Harbingers of Mortality: A Psychological Analysis of Doris Lessing's The Fifth Child

Click to increase image sizeClick to decrease image size Acknowledgments The authors wish to thank Guest Editor Karen J. Renner and two anonymous reviewers for their comments on earlier versions of this manuscript. We also thank Leah L. Kapa and Tara Harney-Mahajan for proofreading the final manuscript. Notes Kristeva's theory of abjection has yielded many different interpretations and has been used in a variety of different ways. We fully acknowledge that ours is only one possible reading of her nuanced writings, which offer alternate interpretations. Our reading has been largely influenced by Sara Beardsworth's Julia Kristeva: Psychoanalysis and Modernity. For example, Daniel Sullivan, Jeff Greenberg, and Mark J. Landau have recently used the theory to analyze horror and ultraviolent films. In her article “Reproduction, Genetics, and Eugenics in the Fiction of Doris Lessing,” Clare Hanson discusses Ben as a symbol of the link between humans and animals and explores the possibility that this link is disturbing and typically repressed. However, her account differs from a TMT perspective insofar as it suggests that repression of the connection between humans and other species is a phenomenon unique to modern societies, rather than a longstanding aspect of human culture designed to mitigate the psychological threat of death. It should be noted that Kristeva also suggests that the abject is inherently connected to fear of our animality and distancing from the body (12–13, 77–79). It is interesting that Lessing wrote a novel about a couple rejecting the cultural-symbolic to embrace the biological mode of immortality striving, given that one could interpret Lessing's biography as an example of the opposite: a woman who pursued the cultural-symbolic path of the writer in an era (1950s England) when women were highly encouraged to embrace the biological mode. As noted, a more in-depth discussion of Lessing's relationship as an author to issues of maternity and patriarchy is provided by Yelin. Jenks's sociological work also shows that children increasingly have come to serve as symbols of their parents' “futurity” (immortality), particularly in the last century and in industrialized nations. He writes of the modern era: “The dreams and the promise embedded in our children, was to reach for the stars, to control more and more of the wantonness of the cosmos, and to produce human culture as the triumph of finitude over infinity” (102–03). Jenks traces this tendency to, among other factors, the decline of traditional religious beliefs as guarantors of immortality, the diminished importance of community and the rise of ideological individualism, the accompanying elevated belief in historical progress, and the decline in birth rate in modern societies. Additional informationNotes on contributorsDaniel SullivanDaniel Sullivan received bachelor's degrees in psychology and German studies at the University of Arizona in 2008. He is currently a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow in the Social Psychology program at the University of Kansas.Jeff GreenbergJeff Greenberg received his Ph.D. from the University of Kansas in 1982. He has co-authored two books, including In the Wake of 9/11: The Psychology of Terror, co-edited two books, and published many research articles. He is currently a Professor of Psychology at the University of Arizona.

Bio-Psychosocial Foundations of Contemporary Terrorism

Jerrold Post is Professor of Psychiatry, Political Psychology, and International Affairs And Director of the Political Psychology Program at the Elliott School of International Affairs, George Washington University. He is the author of The Mind of the Terrorist: The Psychology of Terrorism from the IRA to al-Qaeda. Address correspondence to him at George Washington University, 1957 E Street, NW, Room 600-F, Washington, DC 20052. E-mail: jmpost@ pol-psych.com. Commentary on Prolonged Conflict Post

Terrorism as Collective Communication: The Collective Communication Model of Terrorism (CCMT)

This paper proposes that the psychological and behavioral effects of terrorist threat can be understood as a collective communication process that occurs between terrorists and their potential victims. Based on classic communication theory, terrorists are regarded as the senders of a specific collective message (such as ‘stop oppressing our culture’); a terrorist incident as the collective message itself (through its performance, modality and targets); and the potential victims as its collective receivers (who interpret the intention of the attack as a function of their pre-existing attributes, such as traits or salient social identities). The perception of terrorism as a dynamic and interactive process between collective senders, messages and receivers opens new theoretical perspectives regarding whether (a) terrorism can be successful in reaching its collective aim; (b) if it is interpreted as rational or irrational; and (c) how to counteract the vicious, cyclical relationship between terrorism and counter-terrorism. Previous findings on the psychology of terrorism can be organized within this theoretical framework, and the psychological impact of varying attributes of the perpetrators (senders), incident (message), and the reactions of the potential victims (receivers) systematically investigated. A series of self-conducted studies are also reviewed and found to provide direct support for the collective communication model of terrorism.

Teaching &amp; Learning Guide for: On Spirituality: Natural and Non‐Natural

Author’s IntroductionReligious conversations – both scholarly and popular – routinely employ the term ‘spirituality,’ a term whose ubiquity is matched only by its obscurity. ‘Spirituality’ is seldom, if ever, defined. Most people seemingly appeal to commonsense when they speak of ‘spirituality’ as ostensibly referring to something immaterial and by a certain extension non-natural. The spiritual is supposed to transcend the historical. For those working in Religious Studies, such a position ought to be, and finally is beginning to be, looked upon with suspicion because the (substance) dualism informing commonsense definitions of spirituality is no longer viable. As such, the commonsense definition of ‘spirituality’ is untenable for scholarly purposes. We need a new definition of ‘spirituality,’ and this new definition demands a new approach. To be sure, contemporary academic consilience counsels methodological naturalism. Religious Studies rightly abides such academic consilience. Eschewing all appeals to the supernatural, a natural definition of spirituality suggests that it is existential self-esteem. Although there may be multiple manifestations of self-esteem, spirituality is a misrecognized form of self-esteem as the ‘sociometer.’ Existential self-esteem mitigates interpersonal death anxiety. There are two types of ‘spirituality,’ the non-natural and the natural. Non-natural spirituality pursues ‘literal’ immortality; natural spirituality pursues ‘symbolic’ immortality. Methodological naturalism disallows the former and at least countenances the latter. This guide outlines an approach to teaching about and ultimately defining spirituality as a wholly natural phenomenon.

The Mind of the Terrorist: The Psychology of Terrorism from the IRA to Al-Qaeda - By Jerrold M. Post

Political PsychologyVolume 30, Issue 5 p. 835-837 The Mind of the Terrorist: The Psychology of Terrorism from the IRA to Al-Qaeda – By Jerrold M. Post Tobias Van Assche, Tobias Van Assche University of Antwerp, BelgiumSearch for more papers by this author Tobias Van Assche, Tobias Van Assche University of Antwerp, BelgiumSearch for more papers by this author First published: 09 September 2009 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9221.2009.00729.xRead the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat Volume30, Issue5October 2009Pages 835-837 RelatedInformation

Parallels Between Crime and Terrorism: A Social Psychological Perspective

Although the psychology of terrorism is far from a neglected subject, there is still much to learn. “Ordinary” criminals remain enigmatic but have proved a far more accessible population for research purposes. This article bridges the gap between the study of crime and contemporary terrorism by examining the parallels between the two. Significant similarities are shown to exist between terrorists and organized as well as low-level criminals, including activities performed and systems of social influence and organization. Processes of social identification are universally important to varying degrees; however, specific differences in identity may represent key distinguishing features between groups. Although further comparisons utilizing more restrictive samples are necessary, attention is drawn to the sometimes underutilized potential that criminological research holds to act as a point of reference for the investigation of terrorism.

Psychology of terrorism: classic and contemporary insights by Jeff Victoroff, Arie W. Kruglanski eds

Psychology of terrorism: classic and contemporary insights by Jeff Victoroff, Arie W. Kruglanski eds