The Psychology of Terrorist Group Recruitment

political and social circumstances; that is, terrorism involves variables that can be measured on a criminological scale. The measurable by-product can be examined through psychological factors that vacillate with political circumstances. Ross's conclusions lead to two practical considerations.

“Terrorism's particularly heinous but highly attractive means to achieve political objectives or even radically restructure political foundations is manifest within societies in all reaches of the world. While the practical application of terrorist methodologies comes across as a relatively straightforward craft, the conceptual and ideological understanding, and subsequent evaluation of its socio-political influence, implementation, and psychological impacts present difficult questions, and in some cases conceivably insurmountable obstacles” (Romaniuk 2014, para

Regarding the behavioral explaination, Post (1998) “stated that if terrorism was strategic and rational, such groups should be more likely to disband after they achieve victories.” (…)  Instead, they want to remain in the group for them the sense of belonging to a group is very important (…) it helps them to fulfil their need to belong as well as their need to engage in risky endeavours.” (Post (1998) in Moss, 2016)

?Psychology of Terrorism.? Center for International Research on Terrorism. 2007. http://www.terrorismresearchcenter.org/psychology-of-terrorism.html, accessed 16 Aug 2010.

The following is a brief explanation of the motivation of the Islamic Jihad Group. Included is a response to how the knowledge of the Islamic Jihad Group’s motivation might assist in planning counter terrorist strategy. Included are explanations as to how the motivations of terrorists differ from the motivations of other violent criminals and how cultural, socioeconomic, or political factors could lead a person to become a terrorist or criminal.

Ever since post 9/11 conflicts began and the United States became involved in the Syrian conflict, several homegrown radicalized terrorist have come extremely close to succeeding in highly destructive attacks. Currently, there are gaps in understanding the radicalization of homegrown Muslims in the United States. Therefore, it is imperative to understand paths towards radicalization through crime prevention strategies (Kamien, 2012). The sources listed below will aid in the psychological background of radicalization, and how radicalization happens to homegrown Muslim converts and non-converts (Schumacher, 2011).

In the past weeks we have explored what makes up the mind of a terrorist by considering various psychological and behavioral factors of terrorism. Another factor we discussed was Osama Bin Laden: Terrorist CEO and the evolution of Bin Laden and Al-Qaeda. I will summarize categorizing the means of communication and influence they have upon advancing terrorist narratives, the psychological and behavioral factors within Al-Qaeda leadership and affiliate groups, compare and contrast his ability to communicate and exert influence upon these various audiences from the years preceding 9/11 until his death. All these factors play a part with one another in order to understand the big picture.

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

The NYPD research addresses the issue of Islamic-based terrorism threat in New York City since September 2001. According to the study, the attack plots are planned and conceptualized by residents utilizing Al-Qaeda as their ideological reference and inspiration point (Silber, M. D., & Bhatt, A., 2001). The research applies the quantitative method of data collection, which entails observation and surveying procedure. Through surveying technique, United States government has shifted its focus on radicalization process in effort to culminate terrorist attack process. The data collected facilitated the understanding of radicalization process in the West countries. It also enabled NYPD to develop effective counter-strategies targeting top terrorist globally. The data analysis framework provides information from the intelligence community and law enforcement department thus allowing identification of devastating attack origins (Silber, M. D., & Bhatt, A., 2001).

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

The ever evolving subject of terrorism and terrorists is the subject of significant study worldwide. The psychological and behavioral factors involved in terrorism are one of the most studied issues. It has implications across the board for both the detection and deterrence of terrorism. How terrorists communicate and the influence that it plays in growing terroristic ideology, mission, and goals are also of significant importance, as well.

A final counterterrorism strategy believes that both prior strategies are flawed in their identification of what causes terrorism, and as such, will lead to a failed policy. This counterterrorism strategy focuses on the idea that previous strategies misidentify terrorism as being a politically motivated action (Abrahms 2008). Instead, there is a believe that terrorist organization and terrorism itself is utilized as a means to maximize social solidarity (Abrahms 2008). This model is known as the natural systems model, which is an organization theory shows the correct way to identify why terrorists act for social solidarity and not political goals. The natural system model stresses a disconnect between the group’s official goals and the social

There are many different topics that come to mind when discussing terrorism. Many will choose to discuss the most recent bombing, shooting, hostage situation, or the latest ISIS video. While it is great that people attempt to stay “read on” to what is going on around the world, it means nothing if they are incapable of understanding the “why” behind the attack. The first step in understanding what lead to the bombing, shooting, or even the latest ISIS video begins with having a general idea of the psychological effect the leaders of these terrorist organizations are trying to achieve with these actions. There are three key factors worth noting that will aid in understanding the psychological approach these terrorist organizational leaders use to influence the members of their own organizations.

In the present political climate terrorism is a grave and growing concern for the national security of many countries. While it is important to acknowledge that acts of terrorism date back through centuries of recorded history, it is nevertheless apparent that today, the threat of terrorism is as dire, if not more so, than ever before. Terrorism dominates public and media attention compared to other types of violent offending (Ruby, 2002b), and 9/11 and the 7/7 London bombings have demonstrated the devastating capabilities attributable to successful terrorist acts. Thus, understanding terrorism and ‘what makes someone a terrorist’, with a view to predicting terrorist attacks and behaviour, is a concern shared by many domains, including forensic psychology (FP), criminology and political science. While Borum (2004) notes that FP does not provide the sole analytic framework with which to understand terrorism, it is important to recognise the contributions FP has made, and is still making, to the subject. Therefore, the present essay will discuss what FP has to offer in the study of terrorism with reference to past, present and potential directions for future research.