Terrorism
The word terrorism seems to be easy to define. It is a word that everyone is familiar with. Terrorism, as used in today's media which covers a wide range of violent acts. Terrorism is violent acts that are intended to create fear(terror) are perpetrated for a religious ,political or ideological goal and deliberately target or disregard the safety of non civilians or we can say it is the threat of violence or an act of violence . Terrorism is an international problem in today's global community. Many countries had been affected directly.
Terrorism has been around for as long as people can remember, but for the past years there has been a deep increase in activity.
This definition includes acts of unlawful violence and war. Also this definition has proved controversial various legal systems and government agencies use different definitions for the word terrorism in their national legislation.
The reasons why people become terrorists are because of picking up a gun or blows themselves up are ineluctably personal born variously of grievance and frustration or the desire for system socio-economic change irredentist conviction or commitment to revolution.
They also believe that they are lawful combatants fighting for a specific cause for example religious freedom. They don't see themselves as terrorists. It is like the saying one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter.
People become terrorists usually because there is something missing in their lives. For instance, they may start out by feeling they've been treated unfairly and they are targeted by organizations that take advantage of their displeasure. Regularly they are brainwashed you might say, into seeing the enemy as faceless and evil justifying the o...
... middle of paper ...
... Frustration Aggression Hypothesis of violence is prominent in the literature. This hypothesis was proposed by Ted Robert Gurr {1970} which was an expert on violent behaviors and movements.
Another one, Davies{1973} which include a gap between rising expectations and needs satisfaction.
In addition, Joseph Margolin {1977} argues that "much terrorist behavior is a response to the frustration of various political economic or personal needs or objectives.
Another type of hypothesis is Narcissistic Hypothesis. This hypothesis concerns the early development of the terrorist. Crayton{1983}. For Crayton "terrorism is an attempt to acquire or maintain power or control by intimidation. He suggests that meaningful high ideals of the political terrorist group protect the group members from experiencing . Other view says that a particularly striking personality trait of people
What internally drives a terrorist’s motivation varies from subject to subject. While the average American citizen would likely be quick to point terrorists hate the western way of life and what it represents, the issue is far more complex. Simon Cottee’s article “What Motivates Terrorists?” (2015), looks at various levels of motivation. Prior definitions of terrorism looked at the defining cause as possibly psychological abnormalities within in the individual (Cottee, 2015). As studies have evolved, the focus has shifted to the environment in which the terrorist is surrounded. While certainly there is cases in which a person who is mentally unstable could be an ideal target for terrorist propaganda, the number of cases involving mental
In today’s society the word “terrorism” has gone global. We see this term on television, in magazines and even from other people speaking of it. In their essay “Controlling Irrational Fears After 9/11”, published in 2002, Clark R. Chapman and Alan W. Harris argue that the reaction of the American officials, people and the media after the attacks of 9/11 was completely irrational due to the simple fact of fear. Chapman and Harris jump right into dismembering the irrational argument, often experienced with relationships and our personal analysis. They express how this argument came about from the terrorist being able to succeed in “achieving one major goal, which was spreading fear” among the American people (Chapman & Harris, para.1). The supporters of the irrational reaction argument state that because “Americans unwittingly cooperated with the terrorist in achieving the major goal”, the result was a widespread of disrupted lives of the Americans and if this reaction had been more rational then there would have been “less disruption in the lives of our citizens” (Chapman & Harris, para. 1).
It is therefore imperative that the fight against terrorism focuses on preventive rather than reactive strategies that involve understanding how terrorism works and what can be done to prevent terror attacks. One way of achieving this is through learning the psychology of terrorist group recruitment. Understanding this psychology is important as it will raise awareness to the general public to understand how terrorists are recruited and how they can avoid being recruited into terrorist organizations. In addition, anti-terrorist groups and policy experts may use this knowledge to develop interventions or policies that discourage and prevent terrorist group recruitment. This paper will focus on the psychology of terrorist group recruitment and the discussions will be summarized at the end.
Reich, W. (1998). Origins of Terrorism: Psychologies, Ideologies, Theologies, States of Mind. Washington, D.C.: The Woodrow Wilson center Press.
As David Canter stated in his book, The Faces of Terrorism: Multidisciplinary Perspectives, “Terrorism is multifaceted and, as a consequence, no one explanation, theory or discipline will ever fully account for all terrorist activities. However, the psychological and social psychological processes that lead any given person to commit a terrorist act tend to have been under-represented in the terrorist literature. This is doubtless in part due to the difficulty of conducting studies that engage directly with those individuals who carry out terrorist acts.” (Canter 1) Basically, Canter discusses how terrorism, as discussed before, is not a one-sided act.
Trying to decipher the mentality of terrorism and the fledgling terrorists to be is certainly an intriguing topic. There are too many unknowns in the human psyche to truly break down what really contributes to radicalization. The fundamental factors that lead individuals towards terrorist organizations, religious cults and violent and destructive riots is the needs of the weak willed to be a part of something larger than themselves. Ignorance of others customs, courtesies and cultural practices coupled with religion tends to be the driving factors, many distort to influence hate in future radicals. Sarah Kershaw discusses extremist beliefs justifying violence with a higher moral condition set by their religion, ethnicity and or national political struggles (2010). Through that reasoning people are able to justify violence as a means of influence or control over a given situation or purpose. To me this breaks down as the criminally culpable ignorance of the many lead by the charismatic and deceitful few.
When I say the word terrorism, what do you think of? 9/11? Muslim Extremists? Most kids our age living in the U.S. have had their idea of what terrorism is shaped by events that have happened to our country since we’ve been alive. But terrorism, in many different forms, has been going on for hundreds of years, for hundreds of reasons. But to understand what links acts of violence between a group of people, you first have to know what terrorism actually is.
Many terrorists believe that their religion is the only true religion, and they use it to justify violence (“Islamic Terrorism”). Most Muslim terrorists follow Jihad. Jihad is an Islamic perception that the way to integrate their religion is by massive force (“Of True Muslims and Terrorists”). Jihad is considered the “sixth pillar” of faith in Islam because it is the constant fight towards good. It is the idea of focusing on God and turning away from those that oppose God (David E. Long, 91). The terrorists believe that their religion is what everyone should follow, so they would naturally require personnel in power in Muslim states to either convert to their religion or resign from their terms. They will first threaten a leader that if they do not change, the terrorists will use violence. Sometimes, violent acts come about without any warning or previous threats (“Of True Muslims and Terrorists”). Islam is a proselytizing religion, which means it uses violence to convert people to its faith. This is because, in the ...
An individual terrorist is more likely to be predisposed to acts of violence without any apparent political assignment. An example of an individual terrorist is Lee Harvey Oswald or Timothy McVeigh. These are the people that are only trying to make a statement for their personal higher cause. More often than not, you will find that the terrorist acting alone is a mentally unstable person that is seeking approval for his idea(s).
The social development or structure of a terrorist does not reveal dominant features of psychopathology from an outside perspective. The psychopathology of terrorism has been interpreted as ‘unconscious motives and impulses’ that stemmed in childhood (Borum, 2004). A better example would be reactive aggression described through aggressive expressions and vengeful hostility with lack of impulse control commonly developed within an individual’s childhood. Many children who are humiliated at a young age for their beliefs or interest advance into adult terrorist (Spencer, 2009). The underlining fundamental build of a terrorist or terrorist organization is best understood by analysis of their history. If the psychopathological role of a terrorist leader or organization is determined or understood then law enforcement will have proper information to predict future attacks. Social disorganization is the best way to describe motivation for terrorist actions. Thus, bringing the relation to terrorist being inspired through their beliefs in justification and necessity to incorporate change through public fear. The understanding of a terrorist’s psychopathology helps reveal the relevance in understanding a terrorist’s individual
The U.S. Department of State defines terrorism as, “The calculated use of unlawful violence or threat of unlawful violence to inculcate fear; intended to coerce or to intimidate governments or societies in the pursuit of goals that are generally political, religious, or ideological”. Whereas the Belgium Red Cross says that terrorism is committed “for the purpose of intimidating the population, forcing a third party to act or destablishing or destroying the fundamental structures of a country or of an international organization”.
Terrorism is focused on a one-sided belief that dictates massive destruction of institutions, foundations and national symbols. It represents a philosophy, which does not comply with common sense. Terrorism acts are a matter of individual psychology, relentless ideology, religious commitment, or political passion. The most devastating terrorism attack in the United States was on September 11, 2001. Other U S attacks were the Manhattan attack in 1997, the Anthrax attack in 2001, a prior World Trade Center attack in 1993, the Wall Street Bombing attack in 1920, and the Kalama City bombing in 1995 (Askshintala, 2013). Terrorism attacks have also taken place in Israel, Greece, Chechnya a border between Russia and European countries and India (Askshintala, 2013). All of these attacks and other attacks that were not as devastating have become much of an international legal debate on terrorism. Terrorism should be criminalized under international law.
Terrorist are people who use violent acts to frighten other people in areas as a way of trying to achieve a political goal. People in the historical and modern ages think that terrorism has an extreme inequality.
Terrorism is difficult to define because it can take on many different forms and can involve many different types of people. However, numerous
Terrorism has a tremendous impact on society. It is a rational act of violence and its purpose is to change behavior in a specific society. Terrorism is a political act that is meant to achieve a goal through the act of violence. The nature of terrorism is the nonselective targeting of individuals or a group in society with a goal. The intentions of