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The Psychology of Terrorism

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The Psychology of Terrorism

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    1. The Psychology of Terrorism Matthew Westra

    2. What First Comes to Mind: www.tir.org/metapsy/terrorism.htm www.tir.org/metapsy/terrorism.htm

    3. What First Comes to Mind: Osama bin Laden Afghanistan & Iraq IED – Improvised Explosive Device WMD – Weapon of Mass Destruction 9/11 – Twin Towers The Middle East in general

    4. But…

    5. The 10 Plagues on Egypt

    6. Sun Tzu, The Art of War (circa 500 BCE) “Kill one person and frighten ten thousand” “Supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting.” “So in war, the way is to avoid what is strong and to strike at what is weak. ”

    7. Others from Long Ago Hindu “Thugs” (from time of Herodotus to 1836) Jewish “Zealots” or Sicarii (1st Century) Muslim “Assassins” (12th Century) Thugs killed by strangulation to feed/serve the goddess Kali. They existed for about 2500 years. Zealots or Sicarii, were killers using daggers to rid their land of Romans and their ilk. Assassins used only a dagger, never poison or a missile. The attempt to survive the attack was shameful. (from Dying to Kill: The Allure of Suicide Terror  By Mia Bloom (2005))Thugs killed by strangulation to feed/serve the goddess Kali. They existed for about 2500 years. Zealots or Sicarii, were killers using daggers to rid their land of Romans and their ilk. Assassins used only a dagger, never poison or a missile. The attempt to survive the attack was shameful. (from Dying to Kill: The Allure of Suicide Terror  By Mia Bloom (2005))

    8. There’s the IRA The IRA (Provos) does not follow any rules of war. It is not bound by rules of engagement, or consideration for collateral damage and civilian casualties. In other words, it is a ruthless, blood-spilling, ass-kicking, armed force of consummate lethality.    www.quikmaneuvers.com/ira_terrorism.html The IRA (Provos) does not follow any rules of war. It is not bound by rules of engagement, or consideration for collateral damage and civilian casualties. In other words, it is a ruthless, blood-spilling, ass-kicking, armed force of consummate lethality.    www.quikmaneuvers.com/ira_terrorism.html

    9. There’s the 1972 Olympic Village Attack www.webgeordie.co.uk/geraldseymour/oneday.htm "In the early hours of 5 September 1972 the perimeter fence surrounding the Olympic Village in Munich was scaled by members of the ultra-violent Palestinian terrorist faction Black September. Their target was the temporary home of the Israeli Olympic team. Within 24 hours eleven Israelis, five terrorists, and a German policeman were dead." from: One Day in September by Simon Reeve www.webgeordie.co.uk/geraldseymour/oneday.htm

    10. There’s also a history of Domestic Terrorism

    11. John Brown Bleeding Kansas & Harper’s Ferry

    12. KKK

    13. Various “Patriot” Militias

    14. Including those which influenced Timothy McVeigh

    15. Terrorists are Extremists

    16. Terrorists are Extremists

    17. But… Extremists RARELY become Terrorists!

    18. Familiar Extremists: Single Issue Voters Legal Abortion – Pro or Con True Believers (“Mine is the only true religion”) Zero Tolerance Policy Makers & Supporters Nationalists (“My Country, right or wrong”)

    19. Extremism vs. Terrorism Extremists hold radical, polarized views. Terrorists act according to the radical, polarized views. Extremists believe theirs is the one and only right view. Terrorists refuse to allow for dissenting views, through action. Extremists believe the world would be better if their views were adopted. Terrorists believe they must act to bring their views into being. Extremists hold radical, polarized views. Terrorists act according to the radical, polarized views. Extremists believe theirs is the one and only right view. Terrorists refuse to allow for dissenting views, through action. Extremists believe the world would be better if their views were adopted. Terrorists believe they must act to bring their views into being.

    20. Terrorism: a Definition

    21. How it affects the target population…

    23. Fear

    24. Negative Reinforcement When subjected to painful stimuli, we will engage in behavior we expect to remove the stimulus. When the stimulus is Fear, we will attempt to remove the fear. We will attempt to escape from the threat – Terrorism then succeeds.

    25. So… How did the Terrorists get that way?

    26. Start with a Normal Child

    27. Start with a Normal Child

    28. Growing into Terrorists Social Elements Adolescent Mind & Brain Separation A “conversion” or “awakening”

    29. Growing into Terrorists Legitimacy Polarization Hope Deindividuation The Risky Shift

    30. Growing into Terrorists Adolescent Mind & Brain Authoritarian Parenting Personal Fable Persecution with Entitlement Brain Development

    31. Growing into Terrorists: A common scenario Culture People Religion

    32. Growing into Terrorists: A common scenario A “conversion” or “awakening” experience. Intensified identification with idealized “home” Reject the “wrongness” of alien society.

    33. Social Elements: Legitimacy We are right. God is on our side. The ends justify OUR means. “They” are evil / bad / just plain wrong. “They” have no right to exist / be here.

    34. Legitimacy

    35. Legitimacy

    36. Legitimacy

    37. Polarization Preference becomes good, Good becomes right, Right becomes essential, Essential becomes truth, Truth becomes what must be.

    38. Polarization Right becomes sacred & virtuous, Wrong becomes evil.

    39. Hope

    40. Hope "It is not actual suffering but the taste of better things which excites people to revolt.” Eric Hoffer, The True Believer

    41. Hope  Without the sense of Hope for a new and better future, there is no impulse to attempt change. The desperately poor & marginalized are afraid of losing what little they have. The disgruntled "could have it" group tends to see possibilities… and thus, act.

    42. Deindividuation “A state characterized by a loss of self-awareness, a sense of diffused responsibility, and decreased concern about how others may evaluate one’s behavior” (Mann, et al, 1982).

    43. Deindividuation It happens in crowds:

    44. Deindividuation It happens in traffic:

    45. Deindividuation Deindividuation allows a person to: Be lost in the crowd Be overwhelmed by the moment Become subject to influence Lose a sense of responsibility (“everyone was doing it”)

    46. Deindividuation If you could be totally invisible for 24 hours and were completely assured that you would not be detected or held responsible for your actions, what would you do?

    47. Deindividuation

    48. The Risky Shift Groups tend to make more extreme decisions than individuals. Teams will go for riskier scoring opportunities. Investing clubs will buy riskier stocks.

    49. The Risky Shift When placed in a group of like-minded others, we are likely to move toward more extreme thinking and decisions.

    50. Adolescent Mind & Brain

    51. Authoritarian Parenting “A Restrictive pattern of parenting in which adults impose rules, expect strict obedience, rarely explain why rules are made, generally rely on punitive and forceful disciplinary tactics.” “Because I said so” parenting.

    52. Authoritarian Parenting Prompts people to accept truth from authority (vs. evidence). Reduces critical thinking & questioning. May produce juxtaposition of obedience to authority with resentment of authority

    53. Personal Fable

    54. Personal Fable Beginning in adolescence, one comes to see him/herself as Special & Unique. Rules don’t apply to me. I’m an exception. I am the standard. Others can’t really understand me. All of these notions also get applied to one’s Group.

    55. Personal Fable They may feel like they are the UNIQUE, the ONLY "true believer,“ They are the model of "pure" thought / belief / insight / faith  They are the "Chosen Guide" for others.  (Jim Jones, David Koresh)  They may feel a need to   Find like-minded others, or   Convert others.

    56. Persecution, with Entitlement The developing potential extremist/terrorist may face:  Rejection,  Criticism,  Ostracism,  Being Mocked  Being Targeted for Teasing & Harassment.

    57. Persecution, with Entitlement Persecution + Legitimacy + Personal Fable can be used to  JUSTIFY or OBLIGATE  ANY ACT to bring others in line with one's own perceived purity or defeat enemies.

    58. Adolescent Mind & Brain Frontal Lobes Assist with assessing risk and making clear, reasoned judgments. Tend to function as the “brakes” on emotional reasoning. Not fully developed until about 25 years of age.

    59. Adolescent Mind & Brain Young Men: Adolescent Mind & Brain, Plus: Testosterone, Plus: Social & Cultural Conditioning toward Action & Machismo Plus: Exposure to Extremist Rhetoric Plus: Emotional Appeals to ACT Equals – A population ripe for recruitment.

    60. Adolescent Mind & Brain Young Men are: strongly inclined to seek out situations of risk, excitement, and danger; likely to overestimate their capacities Likely to underestimate objective obstacles and dangers. “Males below the age of 24 have nearly three times as many accidents as their older counterparts; their accidents are significantly more likely to be fatal; and accident analysis reveals that the young men are almost always at fault. This is not attributable, as some might suppose, to a lack of experience or technical skill. Rather, the problem lies in the propensity of young men to take risks, to misjudge or ignore danger, and to make erroneous split-second decisions on the basis of factually unwarranted optimism and overconfidence. Young people are also substantially more likely to make the decision to drive while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.” “"An immature nucleus accumbens is believed to result in preferences for activities that require low effort yet produce high excitement. . . . The amygdale is the structure responsible for integrating emotional reactions to pleasurable and aversive experiences. It is believed that a developing amygdale contributes to two behavioral effects: the tendency for adolescents to react explosively to situations rather than with more controlled responses, and the propensity for youth to misread neutral or inquisitive facial expressions of others as a sign of anger. “ Both quotes from (Toy Soldiers: The Youth Factor in the War on Terror Cheryl Benard. Current History. Philadelphia: Jan 2007. Vol. 106, Iss. 696; pg. 27, 4 pgs)“Males below the age of 24 have nearly three times as many accidents as their older counterparts; their accidents are significantly more likely to be fatal; and accident analysis reveals that the young men are almost always at fault. This is not attributable, as some might suppose, to a lack of experience or technical skill. Rather, the problem lies in the propensity of young men to take risks, to misjudge or ignore danger, and to make erroneous split-second decisions on the basis of factually unwarranted optimism and overconfidence. Young people are also substantially more likely to make the decision to drive while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.” “"An immature nucleus accumbens is believed to result in preferences for activities that require low effort yet produce high excitement. . . . The amygdale is the structure responsible for integrating emotional reactions to pleasurable and aversive experiences. It is believed that a developing amygdale contributes to two behavioral effects: the tendency for adolescents to react explosively to situations rather than with more controlled responses, and the propensity for youth to misread neutral or inquisitive facial expressions of others as a sign of anger. “ Both quotes from (Toy Soldiers: The Youth Factor in the War on Terror Cheryl Benard. Current History. Philadelphia: Jan 2007. Vol. 106, Iss. 696; pg. 27, 4 pgs)

    61. How many Women star in Jackass?

    62. Adolescent Mind & Brain

    63. Adolescent Mind & Brain: Persuasion & Entrapment Appeals made in powerful rhetoric. Black & White portrayals. Masses of people getting hyped. When separated: “Did you mean what you said earlier, or were you just shouting? “Are you really one of us?” “Are you ready to prove loyalty? Make pledge, train, strapped / taped / handcuffed to bomb, create memorial video. No going back.

    64. Why Profiling Fails

    65. Why Profiling Fails

    66. Why Profiling Fails There are many extremists, few take the action to be terrorists. Terrorists look a lot like you and me. The characteristics that show up in terrorists show up so commonly in the general public as to be useless in profiling.

    67. Questions?

    68. The Psychology of Terrorism Matthew Westra MCC-Longview ~ Psychology

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