The Psychology of Terrorism (Cass Series: Political Violence)

To understand the psychology of those who engage in terrorism, John Horgan draws on interviews with terrorists and analyzes current evidence to argue that only by asking the right questions about this complex problem, and by answering them with evidence, can we truly begin to understand the nature of terrorism and respond effectively. Consequently this book presents a critical analysis of our existing knowledge and understanding of terrorist psychology, and in doing so, highlights the substantial shortcomings and limitations of the nature and direction of current research. This new volume presents a unique model of involvement and engagement in terrorism by considering it as a process and exploring three distinct phases of the making of a terrorist: becoming involved, remaining involved (or 'being' a terrorist), and leaving terrorism behind. Despite the ongoing search for a terrorist personality, the most insightful and evidence-based research to date not only illustrates the lack of any identifiable psychopathology in terrorists, but demonstrates how frighteningly 'normal' and unremarkable in psychological terms are those who engage in terrorist activity. By producing a clearer picture of the complex processes that impinge upon the individual terrorist, a different type of terrorist psychology emerges, one which has controversial implications for efforts at countering terrorism in today's world. The book concludes with what this new psychology of terrorism means for understanding the terrorist and highlights what both researchers and the broader community can do to realistically engage the terrorist threat.

To understand the psychology of those who engage in terrorism, John Horgan draws on interviews with terrorists and analyzes current evidence to argue that only by asking the right questions about this complex problem, and by answering them with evidence, can we truly begin to understand the nature of terrorism and respond effectively. Consequently this book presents a critical analysis of our existing knowledge and understanding of terrorist psychology, and in doing so, highlights the substantial shortcomings and limitations of the nature and direction of current research.

This new volume presents a unique model of involvement and engagement in terrorism by considering it as a process and exploring three distinct phases of the making of a terrorist: becoming involved, remaining involved (or 'being' a terrorist), and leaving terrorism behind. Despite the ongoing search for a terrorist personality, the most insightful and evidence-based research to date not only illustrates the lack of any identifiable psychopathology in terrorists, but demonstrates how frighteningly 'normal' and unremarkable in psychological terms are those who engage in terrorist activity.
By producing a clearer picture of the complex processes that impinge upon the individual terrorist, a different type of terrorist psychology emerges, one which has controversial implications for efforts at countering terrorism in today's world.
The book concludes with what this new psychology of terrorism means for understanding the terrorist and highlights what both researchers and the broader community can do to realistically engage the terrorist threat.

9780714682396 BOOKCOVER 2 HALF-TITLE 3 TITLE 5 COPYRIGHT 6 CONTENTS 7 ABOUT THE AUTHOR 8 FOREWORD 9 PREFACE 13 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 19 1 WHAT IS TERRORISM? 21 2 UNDERSTANDING TERRORISM 40 3 INDIVIDUAL APPROACHES 61 4 BECOMING A TERRORIST 89 5 BEING A TERRORIST 112 6 DISENGAGING 141 7 ANALYSIS, INTEGRATION, RESPONSE 156 NOTES 166 BIBLIOGRAPHY 184 INDEX 193 *,Publisher:,Frank,Cass,*,Number,Of,Pages:,199,*,Publication,Date:,2005-08-31 * Publisher:,Frank Cass,* Number Of Pages:,199,* Publication Date:,2005-08-31 John Horgan Presents A Detailed, Critical Analysis Of Our Existing Knowledge And Understanding Of Terrorist Psychology, And In Doing So, Highlights Substantial Shortcomings And Limitations Of The Nature And Direction Of Current Research. What Is Terrorism? -- Understanding Terrorism -- Individual Approaches -- Becoming A Terrorist -- Being A Terrorist -- Disengaging -- Analysis, Integration, Response. John Horgan. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 184-193) And Index. How and why does someone become a terrorist? Are there common causes? Is there a terrorist personality? This book presents a critical analysis of our existing knowledge and understanding of terrorist psychology, and in doing so, highlights the substantial shortcomings and limitations of the nature and direction of research in this field. In this work, the authors argue that psychological research on terrorist behaviour needs to pursue previously unexplored avenues and in doing so, they describe how research on extremist movements can be conducted One of the leading psychologists in the field undertakes a comprehensive examination on one of the most important yet neglected areas in the study of terrorism.