The Terrorist Mind: An Update Analysis

The use of terrorism started in 1795 relating to the reign of terror leaded by the French Government. The reason people become terrorist is because they see it as their only choice or is a sign for defending their religion. “The personal pathway model suggests that terrorists came from a selected, at risk population, who have suffered from early damage to their self-esteem,” (psychologist Eric D. Shaw). This explains how young adults are becoming terrorist to find themselves, also because they are not happy with who they are. Terrorist technology has changed over the course.

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)

On April 15, 2013, two pressure cookers exploded near the finish line of the Boston Marathon. The fatalities were low but the symbolism was high: more than a decade after 9/11, the United States is still not safe from militant jihadist terrorist attacks. The bombers, Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev had planned on killing and dying in the name of global “jihad”. The two brothers were self-radicalized homegrown terrorists. Existing evidence points to the fact that, while inspired by militant jihadism and in loose contact with terrorists in Dagestan, they operated alone. This is a case study of the radicalization process that led Tamerlan Tsarnaev to adopt violent “jihad”, kill three people and injure 250 others.

Task 1. Identify the motives and background history of convicted lone wolf terrorists in conjunction with the DSM-5

On February 24, 2017, Srinivas Kuchibhotla and Alok Madasani were gunned down in a small Kansas Bar. While both of the tech firm employees were of Indian descent, according to the shooter, Adam Purinton, their only crime included looking and acting like muslim “terrorist”. According to Hatred, Bigotry, and Prejudice: Definitions, Causes & Solutions by Robert M. Baird, “ almost 80 percent of the total hate crimes are directed against people and property on the basis of religion”(p.93). With the escalation of these crimes, many ask “What makes people like Purinton hate individuals of certain religions?” . The answer to this question is simple. While it is impossible to say whether the shooter’s actions were not malicious at heart, the reason why he committed this atrocious act is in part, due to him being psychologically programed to hate muslims or those of middle eastern descent. This is possible due to one powerful mechanism that has the ability to control the body, mind and brain, fear. In F. Ski Chilton’s article, the Neuropsychological Impact of Fear Based Politics, Chilton describes how psychologist have

In previous decades, lone wolf attacks were considered to be some the rarest acts of terrorism. However, in recent years this phenomenon has emerged as the new face of terrorism. The increase in lone wolf attacks has damaged relationships between Muslim and non-Muslim communities on a global scale. After a series of attacks in United States, Islamophopia has become more prevalent and acceptable in society. In the article, The 2016 ‘Lone Wolf’ Tusnami – is Rapoport’s ‘Religious Wave’ Ending, author Martin J. Gallagher outlines the various waves of terrorism in a study conducted by David Rapoport. Dating back to the late 1880’s the theory of the lone wolf was developed. The article outlines the various factors that contribute to the rise in lone wolf terrorist. Gallagher suggests that lone wolves are indirectly linked to terrorist groups and may be motivated by it” (Gallagher, 2017). The indirect link Gallagher highlights to in his article refers to a symbiotic relationship extremist sympathizers may develop with terrorist groups. For example, an individual that identifies with or have been exposed to ISIS propaganda is at risk of becoming radicalized. In addition to exposure to propaganda, many other factors contribute to the rise in lone wolf terrorism.

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

Although journalist Dexter Filkins has spent years covering the war in Iraq, he still appears unsure as to what exactly motivates a suicide bomber to embrace jihad. Citing a specific example in his book, The Forever War, Filkins poses the question, “The most intriguing part of Ra’ad’s story was unknowable. How did an English-speaking, American-loving, hair-gel-wearing lawyer who’d walked among the bikinis of Santa Monica come to blow himself up in Iraq?” (177). While this particular quandary may appear unknowable to Filkins, the motivation behind suicide bombers’ actions may be more obvious than he thinks. It is no secret that American culture differs immensely from that of the Islamic way of life, as both groups have great difficulty

Kershaw, Sarah. "The Terrorist Mind: An Update." The New York Times. The New York Times,

Source: CNN
Synopsis: According to the online article, The psychology and neuroscience of terrorism, director of forensic psychiatry at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences stated that, “Fear is the primary psychological weapon underlying acts of terrorism. It is this fear, or the anticipation of future acts of terror, that can have serious effects on our behavior and minds,” such as the way we think, change the production level of hormones with our body, as well as alter the decisions we make. As a result, chronic stress begins to affect our ability to reason, problem solve, as well as how to respond to a fight-or-flight moment; therefore, human beings become desensitized

There has been a lot of news about terrorism, especially since the 9/11 attacks in New York City. Not only in New York City, but also when the Boston Bombing Marathon occurring, there was a lot of debate whether or not the bomber had any mental illnesses, which caused him to set off the bomb in the first place. Mental illness can be present in everyday life, and can impact one’s well-being, along with societal expectations of how a person should act and say in today’s society. This article looks for the connections between mental illness and terrorism. Most social scientists have found a relationship between mental illness and terrorism. This article shows that there is no correlation between an individual’s mental disorder and engagement in

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

Since the darkest day, September 11, 2001, the citizens of The United States of America are on alert and are weary of acts of terrorism. One can turn on the television and can easily find an act of terrorism. Most recent acts are the Boston bombings or the bombings in Volgograd, and most recently the two bombings in Sochi. What drives someone to complete the devastating acts of terrorism? How can on predict, based off of antisocial behaviors, who is more likely to become a terrorist? Regardless of ethnicity, nationality, or racial background, experts agree terrorists share one common link: their childhood. One tends to be more susceptible to becoming a terrorist because of a traumatic event in their childhood to cause antisocial behavior.

Recruitment is defined as the action of enlisting people in the armed forces. “Recruitment provides the killers, the suicide bombers, the kidnappers, the executioners, the engineers, the soldiers, and the armies of future terrorism” (Weimann, 2007, p. 47). The structure of terrorism has evolved significantly over the years. As terrorism develops and expands to a more complex form, so has recruitment tactics. Terrorist groups have taken great strides to successfully expand their organizations by recruiting in all corners of the globe. Most people do not wake up and decide to join a terrorist group. Recruitment is where it all begins; by examining recruitment processes into a terrorist organization, one can better understand how people

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