PSYCHOLOGICAL CAUSES OF TERRORISM.

The understanding of the terrorist mindset and psychology would be the key to understanding how and why an individual becomes a terrorist, the causes and consequences of terrorism and help to clear up from whom to expect such actions and how to anticipate, prevent and investigate crimes connected with terror

Our aim is to work out the recommendations for the war on certain causes and roots of terrorism. Problems:1. Analyze general scientific approaches to terrorism and theories of terrorist‘s behavior2. Describe psychological mechanisms and motivation of terrorist activity3. Give psychological analysis of terrorist’s profile and on its basis work out recommendations for the war on terrorism 

 Terrorism is a complex phenomenon

The theories of terrorist’s behavior

Terrorism

the result of defects or disorders in one’s personality structure.

psychologically normal activity

Political terrorist personality is made, not born characteristic

Motivation and Psychological Mechanisms:- ideological absolutism- necrophilia- self-assertion - selfish ends- self-identity- youth romantic appeal and heroism- giving the special importance to the activity - challenge to estrangement- conformity, standardization, satiety of society- game motivation

• unwillingness to compromise, disdain for other alternative views • tendency to see things in black-and-white• rigidity of belief• perception of the world that reflects a closed mind

Terrorist is not protected from the death by the aim of survival

Necrophilia (attraction to death)

Cognitive processes which unite fanaticism and necrophilia:

Aspect Terrorists Criminals

average age 28 30

family adaptation and status

The same

education level 26% 10%

brain work 17% 5%

served in the army 37 % 13%

not taken into the army

13% 21%

refusal to take part in the games

4% 12%

equal partnership 33% 55%,

leading 10% 14%

examination for the sake of previous committed crimes

8% 27%

supervision of the mental health service

33% 42%

indefinite social values

46% 51%

autoaggression 22% 10%

Table of analysis №1

Motivation of terrorists

20%

9%

6%

6%24%

24%

7%

4%

morbidpsycologicalmotivationselfish ends

hysterical selfactualization

fear motive

political goals

concrete goals

Difference in motives

20

36

9

68

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

morbidpsycopathicmotivationselfish ends

Mental characteristics Terrorists Criminals

mentally sane 42% 10%

schizophrenia 8% 16%

epilepsy 1%

2%

psychopathy 6% 15%

remaining damage of brains

24%

33%

alcoholism and drug addiction

4%

10%

mental deficiency

2% 4%

Table of analysis №2

Civic Defense Model

• It aims at safeguarding the individual rights.

The main features of it are:• Immediate response: invoke civic

structures; ensure the survival of civic structures under attack.

• Legal-Political Approach: primarily authority rests with citizens themselves.

1. Terrorism is the result of many psychological, economic, political, religious and sociological factors.

2.The necrophilia is one of the predominant motives in the terrorist behavior among others, such as self-assertion, youth romance and revolutionary heroism, attaching importance to the life, withdrawal form everyday routine, establishment of oneself in the group and game motivation.

3. The powerful psychological forces of conversion in the group are sufficient to offset traditional social sanctions against violence, but they are not paramount, as the leading or high position in the group is typical for the three fourth of the examined terrorists, in the role of actual doers are only one fourth of them.

4. Motives of terrorist activity are not formed in the small informal groups or under the influence of criminals or conversion and collective commitment of crimes , but in the process of family raising and national traditions, rites, under the influence of older authorities.

5. For the improvement of counterterrorist methods and policies it is possible to use elements of immunized democracy as an effective way of influence on the psychological causes of terrorism.

 

Conclusion