Psychology of Terrorism Flashcards
What are the key readings?
What is a common assumption about terrorists according to psychological theories? (Schmid & Jongman 1988)
The terrorist is not normal and insights from psychology and psychiatry are keys to understanding.
Schmid and Jongman, 1988
What do individuals with particular dispositions tend to do? (Post 1987)
They are drawn to the path of terrorism.
Post, 1987
Who looked at Andrea Baader?
Cooper 1978
Rasch 1979
How is Andreas Baader characterized in terms of psychological traits? (Cooper 1978)
Extremely manipulative and a pathological liar, displaying psychopathic traits.
Cooper, 1978
What was found regarding the psychological classification of Baader? (Rasch 1979)
Nothing justified their classification as psychotics, neurotics, fanatics, or psychopaths.
Rasch, 1979
What is the common characteristic of terrorists according to Crenshaw?
Their normality.
Crenshaw, 1981
What is the key point about the causes of radicalization?
No single root cause can be identified; a range of factors facilitates the process.
None specified
Memorise
What happens from a natural disaster or personal loss?
Life embednessness (flow + nowflow, participation etc) -> low or high want, ability, doing, possibilities (monomania, jump to aggression as preferred response etc), legal political or religion activity (legal radicalised activism) or illegal political or religious activity (illegal radicalised activism
Key factors of T?
Socialisation, peers and family
Identity issues
None specified
What identity issues are significant in the radicalization process?
Quest for significance Deindividuation
Mortality salience
None specified
What is the relationship between mental illness and lone actor terrorists?
1/3 diagnosed mental disorders before attack; does not mean they are irrational.
None specified
What does the presence of a mental disorder indicate about a terrorist’s rationality?
It may help rationality.
None specified
What are proximal risk factors in the context of mental illness and radicalization?
Mental illness is more at risk but not at the forefront at the time of activity.
None specified
What proportion of terrorists attempted to recruit others and help get weaponry
1/3
1/4
None specified
How does online interaction compare to face-to-face interaction among terrorists?
Interact online more likely to interact face to face.
None specified
What is a common sentiment regarding ideology in terrorism?
‘You always try to bring religion into it.’
None specified
Who looked at the phoenix model?
Silke et al 2021
What is the ‘Phoenix Model’ in relation to terrorism?
A counterinsurgency strategy used by the U.S. during the Vietnam War to dismantle Viet Cong support networks. It focused on intelligence gathering, covert operations, and targeting local sympathizers and insurgents. The model aimed to isolate and neutralize insurgent infrastructure, but faced criticism for human rights violations.
Silke et al., 2021
