Terrorism and Motivations: Behavioral and Psychological Perspectives
Terrorism stands out as a global pandemic with a level one security priority. The unfavorable outcome of terror plots raises more questions about the motivations and identities of the perpetrators. One major speculation appears to be the innate motivations for terrorism. Regardless, the investigation into what motivates people to engage in terrorist activities has come to a halt. Terrorism is nearly unsightly, and death was a natural occurrence. Because it's still debatable whether the motivations behind terrorist acts go beyond personal gain, this essay paper aims to look into the behavioral and psychological perspectives as individual factors that lead to terrorist acts.
Religious Implications and Radical Provocation
The religious implications, according to Cinoglu (201), have been at the heart of radical provocation and indoctrinating teachings. Apparently, this argument concurs to Cinoglu's demonstration that the relationship between terror crime and religion has been imperative and single-out as the leading cause for terror (Cinoglu 201). Although, the counter-terrorism has decades of religious profiling for terrorists, on the contrary, terror perpetrators have been investigated as non-religious (Cinoglu 203). However, the spiritual power continues to attract attention as the most likely player to provoke radicalism, for example, the most rampant terror motives are linked to religious impulses and brainwashing.
Furthermore, a 2010 research by Cinoglu highlights that religion is studied to trigger withdrawal indications of isolation that influences the adoption of values and convictions bearing rebellious intentions. Terrorist gangs have been known to exhibit similar characteristics of behaviors as well as the application of revolutionary forces. Also, the effects of religion overcome logic and influences victims to espouse great undertakings with the conviction that they are justified by the heavens. It may imply lots of insanity, but research reveals that terror parties had modified religious doctrines and conceived the teachings to embrace their beliefs and deeds. It is clear that religion has a potential for indoctrination and terror activities, and thus, results in discrimination and warfare among various groups (Aktan 205).
The Quest for Freedom and Justice
According to Lygre et al. (610), the Moghaddam's (2006) prototype has the capability to determine the motives for a terrorist attack. The quest for freedom and justice results to the clarification that facilitates people to explore undertakings that are known to promote justice and suppress the importance of a known image (Lygre et al. 610). Moreover, financial incentives provided to terrorist groups is enormous, and these earnings become major influencers to lure vulnerable people into joining these gangs as a greener pasture for better living standards (Moghaddam 610). At this point, the mental and psychological status arrives at critical deformation that causes the rigidity in understanding as well as worsens into bloodshed undertakings. Consequently, the death people results as an outcome of cognitive separation due to conscience and wrongdoing (Lygre et al. 2011).
The Influence of Injustice and Material Needs
Also, enduring the reality of ineffectiveness and unmet social or material necessities is a fundamental impact to convince someone to evil alternatives to seeking justice, depending on their perception of right and wrong. Eventually, an individual may get engaged in activities that are violent by nature with the prospects of saving the world. Therefore, due to the concept of experiencing injustices, interested party establishes unpleasant psychological impulses directed to the people that appear to be responsible for the unjust occurrences, and thus, becomes the target for an attack. In that connection, the parties involved more often than not, diverge from their common beliefs (Gartenstein-Ross 115).
Indoctrination and Group Identity
Usually, when an individual chooses to join a terror group, he or she is engaged in intense indoctrination and hence, adopts new ideologies without rationalization. Therefore, the new beliefs rapidly grow and develop in a person. These groupings provide a social culture that brings comfort and peace amongst its member such that in the event of a personal problem from one member, the group somewhat provides an answer or cure to the individual that may feel outcast from society (Cinoglu 205). As time goes by, the new participant gets involved in inductive logic with the party's members, whereby, he or she begins to identify as part of the team. According to Cinoglu (220-27), the indoctrination embraces the component of life for humans. It is subtle understand that the driving force that legitimizes violence and terror actions is the insights obtained from irrefutable religious admonishments. Consequently, this establishes major conflicts people and the terrorist groups (Lygre et al. 611).
Conclusion
The phenomenal terror undertakings have created fear and tension as to what primary reason could have led to such grave damages. The Jihadi warfare is an example and proof of impeccable radicalization in respect to religious front's or rather political circles (Gartenstein-Ross 111). Detailed evaluations indicate that in spite of their upbringing, a psychological force that powerful enough takes control and overwhelms the alteration into radicalism and behavior into terror. An example given by Gartenstein-Ross (2014), demonstrated that an individual terrorist was working as a lone wolf, usually gets indoctrinated by experiencing new ideologies that impact not only his or her reasoning but also their conduct to rebellion, chaos and mass murder (Gartnstein-Ross 112).
The psychological influence and behavior modification remain as key indicators for brainwashing patterns and eventually may end as full-blown terrorism (Gartnstein-Ross 115). Conclusively, terrorism has been the reason behind numerous motives that involve people of different walks of life. Nevertheless, these heinous crimes continue to rob the world of its life and reveal the sad truth about behavioral and psychological manipulation. Although the major contributors to terror involvement have disparities, these reasons have an innate impact on the purpose for terror as well as the lives of engaged terrorists.
Works Cited
- Aktan, Hamza. "An Islamic Perspective: Terror and Suicide Attacks." In Ergun, Capan (ed.), Acts of Terror and Suicide Attacks in the light of the Qur'an and the Sunna. (pp. 27-40). New Jersey, USA: Light Publication, 2004. Print.
- Cinoglu, Huseyin. "Sociological Understanding of the Relationship between Terrorism and Religion." International Journal of Human Sciences, 7.2 (2010), 200-209.
- Gartenstein-Ross, Daveed. "Lone Wolf Islamic Terrorism: Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad (Carlos Bledsoe) Case Study," Terrorism and Political Violence, 26.1 (2014), 110-128.
- Lygre, R.B., Eid, J., Larsson, G., & Ranstorp, M. "Terrorism as a Process: A Critical Review of Moghaddam's 'Staircase to Terrorism'." Scandinavian Journal of Psychology 52.1 (2011), 609-616
- Moghaddam, Fathali M. From the Terrorists' Point of View. Westport, CT: Praeger Security International, 2006, Print.
