Nicewonger1

EmilyNicewonger
WritingResearch
Period4
12/12/14
TerrorismPsychologicalcausesandeffects
Perhapsthemostpsychologicallyeffectivecrime,terrorismisamethodofviolence
chosenbysmallergroupsfightingagainstalargerforce.Inthemostsimpletermsterrorismisthe
useofviolencetoinstillfearintoapopulationforpoliticalgains.Actsofterrorismhave
psychologicalandpoliticalrootsandthuscausepsychologicalandpoliticalreactions.Terrorist
organizationscanbeforeignorevendomestic(lawenforcementusesthetermhomegrown)
andaremostoftenunsuccessfulintermsoftheterroristsultimategoalsbutonrareoccasions
theydosucceed.TerrorismisnotasolelyantiAmericanphenomenon,theseactionsoccurall
overtheworld,againstmanynationsandareperpetratedbymanydifferentgroupssuchasthe
IRA,ISIS,Hamas,
alQaeda,BokoHaram,andmanymore.
Asof2014notmuchworkhasbeendoneonthepsychologicalrootsandcausesof
terrorism,forobviousreasonssuchaslimitedaccessanddishonesttestsubjects.Ithasbeen
notedthatcausesofinvolvementmayincludePerceivedinjustice,needforidentityandneedfor
belongingarecommonvulnerabilitiesamongpotentialterrorists(Borum).Terroristsarepartof
alargergroupwithacommonmindsetandgoal,whichmakespsychologicallyanalyzingthemas
individualsverydifficult.Nevertheless,moreresearchisbeingdoneonthemaswritteninthe
NewYorkTimes:
...accesstoterroristshasincreasedandanascentscienceistakingshape.
[And]Moreformerterroristsarespeakingpubliclyabouttheirexperiences(Kershaw).These


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terroristsarebecominginvolvedinwhatisknownasderadicalizationprogramsthroughoutthe
worldandareworkingwithpsychologistsduringinterviewsandcounseling.Researchershave
concluded
extremistbeliefs,whichbeginearlyinlifeastrongsenseofvictimizationand
alienationthebeliefthatmoralviolationsbytheenemyjustifyviolenceinpursuitofahigher
moralcondition(Kershaw),allleadtopeoplebecominginvolvedwithterroristorganizations.
Theseindividualsaredrawntoothersthatthinkinthesameway,orhavestrongpersonalities
drawingthosewhofeelalienatedin.UniversityofMassachusettspsychologyProfessorErvin
Staubhasidentifiedthreetypesofterrorists(Kershaw),thoseidentifiedare:idealists,
respondents,andlostsouls.Idealistsarethosewhofeelthesufferingofagroupandthenact,
respondentsarethosewhoreacttothesufferingoftheirowngroup,andlostsoulsarethosewho
areadrift,socialoutcastslookingforsomewheretheybelong.

Bydefinitionterroristgroupsareaimingforapoliticalgoal:
Mostresearchersagreethat
justificationforextremistaction,whetherthroughreligiousorseculardoctrine,iseither
developedorgreatlyintensifiedbygroupdynamics(Kershaw).
Anexamplewouldbethe
provisionalIrishRepublicanArmywhichwasafactionoroutgrowthoftheoldIrishRepublican
ArmythatsuccessfullyfoughtBritishrule.TheoldarmymadeatreatywithBritainwhich
allowedsixnortherncountiestoremaininBritishcontrol,whichsubsequentlycausedtheIRAto
formintoseparategroupsandact.TheIRAwantedunification,andwhileonefactionwantedto
peacefullygainaunitedsocialistIreland,theother
vowedtouseviolenceasacatalystfor
unification(Gregory).
Infact,
Foryears,beginninginthelate1960s,theIRAwasconsidered
oneofthemostdangerousterroristorganizationsintheworld(Gregory).
Buttodaywhenmost
AmericanshearthewordterroristtheydonotpicturetheIRA,theypicturetheIslamic
extremistslikethosewhofollowedOsamaBinLadenandSaddamHussein.


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IslamicterroristsoperateunderwhattheycallthesixthpillarofIslam,Jihad,whichis
holywar,aDivineinstitutionofwarfaretoextendIslamintotheabodeofstruggle,ortodefend
Islamfromdanger(qtd.inAbdelkader).Thispillariscommonlydisputedandnotrecognized
bymanybranchesofthereligion.TheIslamicfaithisdividedintomanysections,thethree
biggestfactionsbeingSunni,Sufi,andShiitealthoughtherearehundredsofdifferentsectsand
factions.Becausetherearesomanyfactionsitwouldbeimpossibletopindownwhichfactionis
dispensingextremists.ManyAmericansfailtorealizethatthosewhoterrorizetheWesternworld
areoftenlookeddownuponbytheEasternworldandsometimeeventerrorizetheirown
countries.
Actsofterrorcanrangefromsuicidebombingstobiologicalweapons,almosteverything
thatcanbedonehasalreadybeenseensomewhereintheworld.Suicidebombingshappenquite
frequentlyintheMiddleEast,andthismethodofterrorismispsychologicallyinterestingandthe
answersarenotwhatmostpeopleexpect.Mostterroristsarentmentallyill,andsuicidebombers
arenodifferent.IsraelipsychologistDr.Meraristatesthat
Idon'tknowofasinglecaseofa
[suicidebomber]whoisreallypsychotic(qtd.inTheMindofASuicideBomber),healso
statesthattheonlyabnormalpsychologicalfactaboutthemistheirlackoffearatthetimeofthe
attack.Biologicalterrorismistheusageofinfectiousdiseasestoinstillfearandpanicinalarge
populationforpoliticalgain.Thistypeofterroristattackisevenmorebehindtheusageoffear
becausetheymaynotactuallykillanyone,buttheconstantthreatoftheattackhangsoverthe
population.
Terroristattacksoccurallovertheworld,andhavethroughouttime.Oneofthemost
significantactsofterror,9/11,wasontheUnitedStates.Thehijackingresultedinthedeathof


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2,977AmericansinNewYork,WashingtonD.C.,andjustoutsideofShanksville,Pennsylvania.
OnFebruary21,2004,TheLordsResistanceArmyattacksarefugeecampinUgandaandkills
239,whilewounding60.OnDecember21st1988259passengersand11onthegroundwere
killedinaplanecrashthatLibyawasresponsiblefor(InteractiveTimeline).Anotherexample
wouldbethekidnappingofnearlythreehundredNigerianschoolgirlsbytheIslamicextremists
BokoHaram.Thegroupwantedtopreventwomenfromgettinganeducationandtoinstillfear
intootherwomenandgirlsseekinganeducationtheykidnappedthesegirls,mostofwhom
remainedmissingformonthsaftertheirdisappearance.
Todaysdomesticterrorthreatsrunthegamut,fromhatefilledwhitesupremaciststo
highlydestructiveecoterroriststoviolenceproneantigovernmentextremiststoradical
separatistgroups(FBI).
TheKluKluxKlancanbeconsideredadomesticterroristorganizationduetotheirusage
ofviolenceforpoliticalagendas.TheKluKluxKlanisabigotedorganizationthatwascreatedin
1866andwasrampantinthe20thcenturymainlyagainstAfricanAmericans,buttheyalso
denouncedcatholics,Jews,andorganizedlabor.Theyusedterrortosuppresstheirpolitical,
economic,andsocialrights.TheyutilizedpsychologicalwarfaretopreventAfricanAmericans
fromvotingandowningpropertybyinstillingafearthroughpubliclynching,burningcrossesin
peoplesyards,andpubliclymarching.TheWestboroBaptistChurchincontrastisnoteven
remotelyconsideredadomesticterrororganizationbecause
Hateandangerarenotcrimes
neitherarehardlineandpoisonousideologies(FBI).TheWBCutilizestheirrightstofree
speechandtoprotest,buthasnotphysicallyharmedanyone.


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Inconclusionterrorismisnotablackandwhite,event.Itiscauseandeffect,andasmuch
apsychologicalwarasaphysicalone.Theseviolentactionshaveoccurredthroughouttime,all
overtheworldandwillcontinuetohappen.Thehumanconditioniswant,thereforetherewill
alwaysbeasmallgroupofpeoplewhoisunsatisfiedwiththecurrentpoliticalregimes,andis
happytoresorttoviolencetoachievetheirgoals.


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