The Typical Psychological Profile Of The Terrorist
Every time there is a terrorist attack, everyone asks the same question: “How were they able to do something like that?” Is it necessary to have some type of psychopathology to carry out these types of acts? What profile do these people have? How is someone capable of losing their life for an ideal?
The factor of apparent irrationality of the terrorists is what most confuses the victims, who cannot find logical explanations for the actions carried out.
To begin with, it is important to know that There is no mental disorder per se for these people from the point of view of clinical psychology. They are not psychopaths. Therefore, in the legal sense they are completely accountable people from a legal point of view. They are aware of their actions, both in responsibility and in the ability to govern their will. However, some psychologists speak of social or political pathology. They tend to lack feelings of guilt due to their beliefs. They are considered martyrs. In them, appears the dichotomous thinking that is, “either you are with me or you are against me.”
His ability to kill or lose his own life may be due to historical or ideological background, promises of ascension to paradise, social ratification or simply well-being for him and/or his family. The terrorist’s intention goes far beyond simple multiple murders. Your goal includes causing the psychological effect of chaos, producing helplessness, hopelessness, terror, fear, insecurity. The terrorist believes that he has a purpose, he may even consider himself a savior of society.
The profile is usually a young boy, between 20 and 35 years old The difficulties of social adaptation of these generations can favor these defiant acts that go to the point of giving one’s life for values, without this implying a psychiatric disorder in itself. They are usually children of immigrants who now live in the West, but who have not managed to adapt (or we have not let them) in the Western system.
They are not different from us. In fact, human beings in extreme situations are capable of carrying out these types of activities with absolute normality. An example? The World Wars or the Spanish Civil War. Not to mention social and political situations like the Nazi Holocaust. In them you could kill your neighbor for the simple fact of being on the other side. This is where the concept of social categorizationwhere the act of categorizing turns us into “us” and “them.”
As for the group, there are group pressures and group perceptual distortions. An overgeneralization occurs, in which everything revolves around your beliefs and thoughts Their ideology can come to dominate what they do and what they think. They consider their group superior and the need to deserve control and power. They feel their group condition, they have moral, religious or nationalist ties.
Ideology, dogmatism and derealization
They suffer a process of slowly disconnecting from reality, as well as a loss of empathy with his victims They have strong feelings of belonging and group cohesion. They are individuals who do not act in isolation and individually. Within the group, personal needs that society has not provided are met. They provide them with values, motivations, and even hope. As well as the possibility of playing a role in group actions. All of this can even lead to recognition and prestige that they have never had, becoming an existential motivation and a search for group acceptance.
The group meets their needs for communication, for being heard. In this way, shared ideas end up being created in the group and therefore reinforcing the cohesion of the members. That means greater group identification, greater obedience, due to the need to continue belonging to the group and even the possibility of carrying out some type of behavior that produces visible results within society to show their commitment to “their own.”
Fanaticism and the psychological factors that trigger it
What in psychology is called “tunnel vision” can appear in moments of maximum pressure, that is, in a situation of danger or great activity, together with physical and mental pressure, the vision simply focuses on some object. common or danger that arises (in this case it would be Western society). Hierarchies, discipline or respect for authority are some of the group norms that are established. The same group pressure requires the absence of doubts and criticism.
The subject, sometimes, considers himself a victim of the system, showing severe identity problems Many are born in the West, where they do not feel integrated. They don’t feel on one side or the other. This, together with social networks, favors the recruitment of young people who need to obtain an identity, a future, a meaning to their life.
Are they fans? Could be. We Westerners are too. We also bombed their cities without any problem, for the simple fact of being “them” and not “us.” Do not confuse all this with brainwashing. The simple feeling of belonging can cause radicalization of the subjects, a great basic example is the radicals of football teams.
