11 ~ Psychology of Terrorism

Terrorism

• From the Code of Federal Regulations:

  • "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"

Are Terrorists Mentally Unstable? Psychopathic? Mentally Ill? Pathological?

• As a group, "psychologically much healthier and considerably more stable than other violence criminals"

• Rational behavior rooted in belief of morally justified violence

  • Cf. reactive aggression typical of most violence

Classifications: Domestic v. International Terrorism

• Domestic - "U.S. based movements that espouse extremist ideologies of a political, religious, social, or environmental nature"

  • "homegrown"

  • Overlap with hate crime (e.g., Charlottesville, VA)

  • e.g., OKC bombing (Timothy Mc Veigh)

• International - "Under the direction of a foreign government, group, organization, or person."

  • E.g., 9/11

Classification - Political/Ideological

• Right-wing - (1) white supremacists; (2) anti-government, (3) incels

• Left-wing - political activism, civil rights

• Special interest (e.g., abortion, ecoterrorism, animal rights)

Right-Wong Terrorism

• White supremacists/far-right -- killed more people since 9/11 than any other category of domestic extremist

  • 71% of terrorism fatalities between 2008 and 2017

Psychology of Terrorism - Who Joins?: Profile

• No specific personality profile that characterizes a terrorist exists

• Traits/Characteristics (?):

  • No mental illness/personality disorders in background

  • No substance abuse

  • Largely indistinguishable from the local population

Helplessness

• Adversity --> Lack of skills/strategies to change

  • Use either a:

    • Approach (attack)

    • Avoidance (withdrawal) learned helplessness

  • Attack = belief response may improve circumstances (or family, community, etc.)

• "The only thing you cannot take away from them is their religious or political or philosophical belief"

  • Ex. "God is ultimately just and things will work out for them either in this world or the next"

Significance Quest Theory

• Motivated to feel worthy, be respected, matter to others (universal aspect of human nature)

  • Need to have social worth

• Fulfilled by a sense measuring up to the values one shares with significant others

  • Sociocultural context - validation by social network or reference group

• "Activated" by:

  • (1) significant loss (e.g., personal failure, ostracized, rendered powerless)

  • (2) the threat of significant loss (e.g., groups that appeal to fears)

  • (3) the opportunity for significant gain (e.g., status, self-esteem associated with contributing to cause; heroism, martyrdom)

• Nourished by ideology/group messaging/affiliation ("…ideology is relevant to radicalization because it identified such radical activity as violence and terrorism as means to personal significance as justifies it on moral and effectiveness grounds")

Terror Management Theory

• "Terror" = universal anxiety of eventual death

• Awareness of mortality + fear of insignificance = death anxiety

  • Death anxiety = need to adopt worldview that allows belief of important role in meaningful world

• Need to insulate self from fear of living insignificant life

  • How?

    • Affiliate with important group (usually perceived as superior to others) to confirm self-importance

• Can be negative (e.g., terrorism) or positive (prosocial) affiliation

• Humans construct cultural worldviews to avoid anxiety/fear

  • World view is a "formula for immortality"

• People must believe that "some valued aspect of themselves will continue, either literally or symbolically, after cessation of their biological body"

  • Afterlife or legacy (e.g., achievements, heroic feats, and martyrdom)

• Cause of terrorist rage/violence - perceived threat of cultural worldview by outgroups

  • Targets = those perceived to threaten beliefs, lifestyle, worldview

Becoming a Terrorist: Radicalization

• Radicalization: gradual process of indoctrination to fully embrace ideology, mission, and level of violence necessary to achieve group's goals

• Risky Shift

  • Group context/engage shifts initial beliefs in more extreme direction

  • "Group" behavior is more extreme than individuals along

• Other factors (cf. social learning theory):

  • Modeling of more experienced group members

  • Sense of eliteness and social rewards of solidarity and group esteem

• Social marginalization/isolation - psychological benefits of group affiliation (more important than political objectives?)

• Younger people are more easily recruited than older people

Restructuring/Disengagement Practices

• Cognitive restructuring

  • (cf. moral disengagement)

• Includes:

  • Moral justifications: actions have an ultimate moral and good purpose

  • Euphemistic language: language shapes thought (sanitized or neutral labels)

  • Advantageous comparison: way of life/values are superior those they attack; making one behavior look good by comparing it with something worse

    • Appealing to the inhumanity of the enemy