The Mind of the Terrorist
The Psychology of Terrorism from the IRA to al-Qaeda
-
- $11.99
-
- $11.99
Publisher Description
In contrast to the widely held assumption that terrorists as crazed fanatics, Jerrold Post demonstrates they are psychologically "normal" and that "hatred has been bred in the bone". He reveals the powerful motivations that drive these ordinary people to such extraordinary evil by exploring the different types of terrorists, from national-separatists like the Irish Republican Army to social revolutionary terrorists like the Shining Path, as well as religious extremists like al-Qaeda and Aum Shinrikyo. In The Mind of the Terrorist, Post uses his expertise to explain how the terrorist mind works and how this information can help us to combat terrorism more effectively.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Those who believe there's a fundamental difference between themselves and terrorists may be alarmed by what they discover in this psycho-social investigation from Post, a professor of Political Psychology and International Affairs at George Washington University. Through comprehensive histories of people stripped of their land, identity and/or independence by governments with skewed (or self-serving) ideas of justice, Post maps the formation of terrorist mindsets-which prove neither as foreign nor as psychotic as their actions might appear. Post is objective and perceptive while identifying and exploring three types of terrorism: national-separatist, social-revolutionary and religious-extremist. Analyses of beliefs and motives-often taken from the personal statements of members and leaders-illustrate how a psychologically normal person becomes an agent of extraordinary violence. According to Post, understanding the psychology and sociology of terrorists is vital in a true war on terrorism, which is, after all, often rooted in conflicting ideologies. Concluding with a plausible strategy for waging such a war, Post adds critical knowledge to the ongoing debate over how best to deal with terrorism.