Terrorism Genesis

Genesis of TerrorismAn exploration of the causes of terrorism and of the conditions

that produce them

Michael A. Bozarth, Ph.D.Department of Psychology

University at Buffalo

www.PsychologyofTerrorism.com

Distinguishing Terrorism from Other Types of Terror

• Terrorism can be distinguished from other types of terror in that it is:• goal oriented not gratuitous

• always directed at a larger audience

• designed to produce a “positive” societal change

• facilitated by both active supporters and sympathizers

• Terrorism is usually viewed as a glorious endeavor by its perpetrators

“One person’s terrorist is another person’s freedom fighter.”

Terrorism Support Base

Actual terrorists

Active supporters

Passive supporters

Sympathizers

Perspectives on Terrorism

• Syndrome view (pathological terror looking for a cause?)• Terrorist activity fulfills some psychological need• Identifiable characteristics

• individuals• groups

• Tool view (social activism looking for a solution?)• Terrorist activity has a strategic objective• More evasive identifiable characteristics

• means-ends psychology uses terrorism when other “means” are not effective in achieving the desired “ends”

• individual and group ‘traits’ are likely to be more subtle

Terrorism as a Syndrome

• Emphasizes psychological characteristics of the individual that lead to terrorism• Individual profiling is valid• Violence prone individuals select terrorism as

the preferred path to social-political change• More similar to pathological terror than to

criminal terror

Terrorism as a Tool

• Emphasizes social-political conditions of the environment that lead to terrorism• Individual profiling has limited utility

(group profiling probably more useful)• Individuals not necessarily prone to violence

select terrorism as the only viable path to social-political change

• More similar to criminal terror than to pathological terror

‘Hybrid’ View

• Emphasizes individual adaptations to the perception of social-political conditions (e.g., social cognition)

• Some individuals may more easily turn to terrorist solutions than others• Individual profiling potentially somewhat useful • Some elements of both pathological and criminal

terror

Out of the rubble of despair comes the hope for change . . . and another terrorist is born.

Social, political, and economic disparity breed discontent. Discontent sometimes leads to despair that can spawn terrorism. Civilizations once great often seek to return to their former grandeur. Religious fervor can give spiritual meaning to the struggle, and the struggle can provide purpose for life itself.

Path to Terrorism: Model #1

From Borum, 2003

Feelings of Empowerment and Ability to Affect Change

Social-Political Activism

Democratic Reform or alternative evolution of social structure

Social, Political, Economic, or Religious Strife

Psychological Despair and Feelings of Hopelessness

Blame Self Blame Others

Psychological Depression

Suicide

Indoctrination into culture of hatred

Homicide

Terrorist

Criminal

Adaptive Coping Response

Psychopathologial

Modeling Behavior

Social Contagion Theory

“Brain Washing”

Learning, conditioning, and social modeling are important factors for understanding the spread of terrorism

Group DynamicsPsychological

Sociological

Factors

Terrorism and Social Modeling

• Modeling behavior can explain many aspects of terrorist behavior for those born into a culture of terrorism, but it fails to explain the genesis of the terrorist movement• Modeling behavior may offer an adequate explanation

for the ‘soldiers’ but not for the leaders of terrorist movements

• Social learning approaches to understanding terrorism have limited utility

Terrorist’s Mindset

• Identification of problemSocial/political/economic injustice

• Identification of causeOppressive group creating the inequity/injustice

• Identification of solutionRadical change through the use of terror

• Process actualizationLearning to ‘kill’

Progression to Terrorist

• The transition to terrorism might be viewed within the general framework of motivational psychology

“To do or not to do?” Approach Behavior (no conflict)Approach-Approach Conflict Approach-Avoidance Conflict

• A simple motivational analysis focuses on the dynamic interactions of three classes of variables• Increased motivation to affect change• Decreased competitive behaviors

• alternative paths to change• “others things to do”

• Decreased inhibitions restraining the use of violence

Motivational Analysis: Factor #1 —Intensified Motivation for Change

• Commonly experienced psychological condition yielding varied responses• Goal unobstructed

• Work merrily away pursuing ‘the good life’

• Goal obstructed• Increased effort to obtain goal through normal

‘channels’• Search for alternative methods of obtaining goal• Search for substitute goals

Motivational Analysis: Factor #2 —Diminished Competing Behaviors

• Multiple ‘choices’ of goals complicate life and diminish motivational focus for any single goal

People are much less willing to give-up their life when they have something to live for and not just the promise of a better afterlife

Motivational Analysis: Factor #3 —Diminished Inhibitions for Violence

• Single most important factor for understanding why some people progress from activists to terrorists

• Moral disengagement can explain the psychological transformation necessary for otherwise ‘normal’ people to engage in terrorist activity

Killing Another Human Being is Seldom Easy

• Homicide• accidental (most people are naturally capable)

• fit of rage (many people are naturally capable)

• premeditated (few people are naturally capable)

• Moral disengagement facilitates the process• unnecessary for a few people (e.g., “natural born killers”)

• can be serendipitous or systematically ‘programmed’

Moral Disengagement

• Moral justification• Sanitizing the language• Diffusion or displacement of responsibility• Attribution of blame to victims• Dehumanization of victims

From Bandura, 1990

Three Variables Can Shift the Precarious Balance from

Activism to Terrorism

Motivation for change

Competing alternative behaviors

Inhibition of violent behavior

Transitioning to Terrorism

Actual terrorists

Active supporters

Passive supporters

Sympathizers

inished alternative

behaviors

Intensified motivation

Empathy

disengagement

• The reasons for the conflict are usually quite obvious

• The reasons for the transition into terrorist action are often less clear

• What factors produce the transition from inactivity to activity?• Intensified motivation?• Diminished competing behaviors?

• From supporter to active participant?• Diminished inhibitions?

Some Psychological Principles within the Realm of Normal Behavior

Applicable to Terrorist Behavior

• Frustration-aggression• Displacement behavior (beyond above)• Modeling behavior• Social contagion (beyond above)• Social cognition• Moral disengagement• Classical and operant conditioning

Levels of Involvement

• Organizers/Leaders• Active Followers• Supporters• Sympathizers

Initiate the movement

Sustain the movement

• If the source of the conflict cannot be peacefully resolved, then• Counter-terrorism efforts should target

foremost the organizers/leaders• They are essential to the organization• They are often not easy to replace

• Unfortunately the followers are usually the ones easiest to capture

Sources

Bandura, A., et al. (1996). Mechanism of moral disengagement in the exercise of moral agency. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 7, 364-374.

Borum, R. (2003). Understanding the terrorist mind-set. FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, July, 1-10.

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