Lone Wolf Research Paper

According to most analysis of the lone-wolf terrorist, the lone-wolf terrorist is identifiable by a few characteristics. However, Bartol and Bartol list seven main characteristics in textbook. The lone-wolf terrorist may identify or sympathize with extremist movements, but they operate individually. Since they operate alone, they act with the influence of a leader or hierarchy. They may often strive for notoriety on the behalf of an interest group. Because their plans are well throughout in advance, it is consider to be premeditated. Unlike other terrorist, the lone-wolf appears to have suffered from some form of mental illness. Lastly they may prefer solitude instead of the companionship of friends because they lack interpersonal and social skills (Bartol & Bartol, 2014, p337).

Despite a few common characteristics amongst lone wolf terrorists, no psychological profile currently exists to accurately predict or explain potential suspects. The few empirical studies that attempt to create a profile of lone wolf terrorists suggest a greater prevalence of mental health issue among lone wolf terrorist when compared to group based counterparts. Particularly, research from Fein & Vossekuil reported that ~61% of lone wolf terrorists had prior contact with some form of mental health services before their attacks. Similarly, research from Gill et al. found that 31.9% of lone wolf terrorists, within their dataset, had a history of mental illness or a personality disorder, but failed to compare these results with the overall general population to establish or isolate the specific mental disorder. Ultimately, research on the psychological profile of lone wolf terrorism is severely lacking.

Radicalization have various sources, from reactionary hatred of the freedom world, involvement in antigovernment militia movements in the U.S, to even mental illnesses. The main focus in this paper is to focus on Jihad-based radicalization in the prison system because according the FBI these groups are the biggest potential threats to American security. It is important to recognize all of the factors of why Americans are radicalizing in the prison system. First off, in prison, individuals associate themselves with other individuals or groups to protect themselves. They also tend to associate with those that are similar to them; share background similarities, family, ethnicity, religion, etc. Ever since 911, the government has increased its economic spending to combat and prevent domestic terrorism. In October 2003, the U.S Senate Subcommittee on Terrorism, technology, and homeland security held a hearing, that warned the threats of Islamic radicalization in the U.S prisons. The subcommittee concluded that radicalization in prisons is a real threat and “prisons are producing a formidable enemy within. Eight years later, in June 2011, the U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security held another series of hearings on the issue. In his opening remarks, Committee Chairman Peter King claimed that prisons have created "an assembly line of radicalization," which poses a major threat to the safety and security of the

Research relating to lone wolf terrorism has only recently begun to develop and has focused primarily on the frequency of offenses with mental health often as a peripheral factor. Such a void in research is dangerous, as the methods currently available to counteract terrorism are focused primarily on exploiting the vulnerabilities associated with group interactions, an approach that is inadequate to counteract the lone terrorist. The United States must prioritize counterterrorism resources and encourage further research to combat this threat. Indeed, the ability to accurately profile lone wolf terrorists would enable the prevention and expeditious capture of such individuals in the future, mitigating the potential

For a long time before the events of September 11th, typically foreign terrorist acts were committed in some relation to military acts like the Irish Republican Army (IRA) or disputes along Middle Eastern borders like Israel and Palestine both are long standing political issues that continue to tug on the hearts of those involved to this day. But more so today we see an influx of independent terrorist attacks which we call these lone wolf attacks. These people are unassociated or are un-sponsored by with any particular group and act of their own accord. These lone wolf attacks are a particular challenge to intelligence communities because the investigation comes down to their personal mindset and to what radicalized

Spaaij defines lone-wolf terrorists as individuals who do not belong to an organized group or network, operate independently, and whose modus operandi are conceived and directed by the individual without any direct command or hierarchy. In contrast, the Federal Bureau of Investigation makes no distinction between individuals and groups, and defines terrorism as: “the unlawful use of force or violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives” (FBI). As demonstrated, this variation in definition hinders the development of a comprehensive account of lone-wolf terrorists and increases the challenge to identify key traits for further investigation. Therefore, for the purposes of this study, the term “lone-wolf terrorists” will be defined as an individual who acts alone; who does not belong to an organized terrorist group; whose tactics and methods are conceived by the individual without any external direction or command, and acts without the direct influence of a leader or

In his book Talking to the Enemy (2010), Scott Atran uses his experiences in the countries often perceived as the origin of most global terrorist actions against the United States combined with scientific proof from a wide variety of sources to argue for new methods of understanding and stopping terrorism as it exists today. Though many examples and analyses of terrorist acts are examined in the book along with many different explanations for the social and psychological mechanisms that may cause them, one of the central ideas is the power of social bonds to drive people to commit actions that they never would have considered alone. This paper will analyze Atran's argument as

Terrorism is a difficult issue to understand and grasp for many people. What is even more difficult to understand is what drives an individual to become radicalized to the point of joining a terrorist organization and committing terrorist acts. While there is not specific criteria or a “cookie cutter” approach to understanding what motivates and radicalizes an individual to participate in such atrocities, there are however, several psychological and behavioral factors that have been common among these individuals. The following paper will outline some of the psychological and behavioral factors that attribute to an individual’s radicalization and eventual willingness and even perhaps

As lone wolf terrorism is infrequent, and the offenders often become casualties of their own campaigns, the present study will employ a correlational research design to analyze the potential relationship between schizotypal personality disorder and lone wolf terrorism. Utilizing a similar method from the Security Studies Program National Security Critical Issue Task Force, the present study will administer a multivariate statistical test upon a dataset, produced by previous research from Hamm & Spaaij, to analyze current trends and isolate potential mental disorders. The dataset consists of 98 confirmed lone wolf terrorists between 1940 and 2013 who were either convicted or died during their offense - representing the most comprehensive dataset

There are many things can be seen in the psychology of terrorism. Unfortunately there is not good science on psychological factors of terrorism; there are theories and educated opinions (DeAngelis, 2009). The one overarching factor is the fear with which terrorism is based. By definition, terrorism is acts that cause terror by one group on to another, usually for political goals (“Terrorism”, n.d.). Why people suffer from these fears is related to their psychological behavior. Terrorist activity can be described as “fostering a sense of helplessness and hopelessness, in demonstrating the incompetence of the authorities, destroying a sense of security and safety, and in provoking inappropriate reactions from individuals and authorities.” (Alexander & Klein, 2005). Terrorists themselves are affected by psychological behavior; their own and that of others around them. They may even be affected by the behavior of victims and potential victims. Osama Bin Laden has even been known to admit that in the terrorist organization Al-Qaeda, his

Bakker and De Graaf define lone wolf terrorists as “a stand-alone operative who by his very nature is embedded in the

The path that future terrorists follow is a gradual one, for it is almost impossible for someone unaccustomed to killing, to suddenly be able to do so. The ability to kill must be nurtured over time, usually through the group dynamics of terror networks: "The terrorist has a fixation on systemic value. This means that they emotionally crave membership in the organization, group, or order to which they belong" (2). Terror groups are like families to terrorists, each with their role, and each providing support for their fellow

The Institute for Critical Infrastructure Technology alleges that lone wolves generally progress through three different stages: ideation, isolation, and action. The first stage, ideation, begins with a fixation

The purpose of this paper is to present, and critically analyze different psychological approaches regarding terrorism. As all professional literature depicting human behavior and social matters, psychological theories have advantages and limitations. Through the study of six scientific and professional literatures, I will evaluate to what extent psychopathology, individual’s personality and individual’s life experience are relevant to understand terrorism.

While suicide attacks usually happen a long way away, and the chance of being killed by a local attack is small, it’s not irrational to hold some concern over the growth of militant Islam. In a post 9/11 world, where frequent Islamist