Showing papers in "Behavioral Sciences of Terrorism and Political Aggression in 2011"
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TL;DR: The authors proposed to shift the discussion from the concept of terrorism to that of terror, in the psychological sense of the term, and thus open up a new perspective on the analysis of the emotional impact of political violence.
Abstract: The vagueness that attends the notion of terrorism is a source of constant confusion. This article proposes to shift the discussion from the concept of terrorism to that of terror, in the psychological sense of the term, and thus open up a new perspective on the analysis of the emotional impact of political violence. This requires us to refine the conceptual framework and make the terminology we use compatible with the empirical data we have on the psychological sequelae of violence.
58 citations
TL;DR: This paper proposed a revisionary re-description of the central characteristics of terrorism in an attempt to put forward a persuasive definition under which scholars could converge, and then proposed a contingent definition of terrorism relevant to the present historical moment.
Abstract: This article offers a revisionary re‐description of the central characteristics of terrorism in an attempt to put forward a persuasive definition under which scholars could converge. It accepts that there are valid reasons for rejecting the term, not least because it is a socially constructed label that has been misused in public discourse. Nonetheless, it argues that, based on a ‘minimal foundationalist’ ontological position, it is possible to define and describe the key characteristics of terrorist violence. The article then attempts to re‐describe the characteristics of terrorism by dealing with a number of common misconceptions, such as the notion that terrorism is violence directed at civilians or non‐combatants by non‐state actors, before offering a contingent definition of terrorism relevant to the present historical moment. The article concludes by outlining a range of additional pragmatic and normative reasons for retaining the term as a research concept.
39 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors introduce evolutionary psychology to a general readership, with the purpose of applying evolutionary psychology for suicide terrorism, and discuss several promising directions for future research on suicide terrorism from an evolutionary psychological perspective, particularly within the theoretical framework of kin selection.
Abstract: This article introduces evolutionary psychology to a general readership, with the purpose of applying evolutionary psychology to suicide terrorism. Some of the key concepts related to evolutionary psychology are discussed, as well as several misconceptions associated with this approach to psychology. We argue that one of the primary, but insufficient, motivating factors for suicide terrorism is strong religious belief. Evolutionary psychological theories related to religious belief, and supporting empirical work, are described, laying a foundation for examining suicide terrorism. Several promising directions for future research on suicide terrorism from an evolutionary psychological perspective are highlighted, particularly within the theoretical framework of kin selection, and the implications of applying evolutionary psychology to suicide terrorism are discussed.
26 citations
TL;DR: The authors argue that the paradigm of terrorism needs to be abandoned by those academics engaged in exploring political violence, and argue that those engaged within terrorism studies must go further in their critique of the concept of terrorism.
Abstract: This paper argues that the paradigm of ‘terrorism’ needs to be abandoned by those academics engaged in exploring political violence. The authors, through the prism of their various disciplinary backgrounds and their research experience in Northern Ireland, argue that those engaged within Terrorism Studies must go further in their critique of the concept of ‘terrorism’. Taking fives steps into the field of Terrorism Studies, this article argues that the term is indefinable; and that some of the common elements of a definition are unconvincing; explores the significant implications of using such a label; engages with the arguments of Richard Jackson and other critical terrorism studies’ scholars; and, finally, draws upon lessons learnt from the Northern Ireland case study.
26 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors proposed a non-phonemic method for detecting membership in secret social groups, such as cults, criminal gangs, drug cartels and terrorist cells.
Abstract: This work describes the theoretical basis for a non‐phonemic method of detecting membership in secret social groups, such as cults, criminal gangs, drug cartels and terrorist cells. Beginning with the basic sociological proposition that every social group develops a distinctive socio‐cultural order, it is postulated that the primary features of group identity will be encoded, via a multi‐level socio‐psycho‐physiological process, into the field of bio‐emotional relations connecting group members. This information is communicated in all group‐related interactions by a holographic‐like process and recorded in the members’ brains as a unique signature of group affiliation. The group’s identity signature should be present in measurements of interaction between members as a latent commonality marking group affiliation. It is hypothesized that the identity signature is enfolded as a hologram in the energy spectra of vocal interactions among group members. In clandestine groups, the effort to remain hidden should...
18 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigated the mental representations related to these five different terms when the terms are presented individually and when they are embedded in the context of two scenarios, and found that the positive and negative valence of associations to the five target words would differ.
Abstract: In the scientific literature and popular media, the five terms suicide bomber, suicide terrorist, Islamic martyr, martyr or volunteer are often used interchangeably. This study investigates the mental representations related to these five different terms when the terms are presented individually and when they are embedded in the context of two scenarios. Participants were 129 undergraduate students. It was hypothesized that: (1) the positive and negative valence of associations to the five target words would differ; (2) the perception of a suicide terrorist would be influenced by target word used and by the context of the act, such as the kind of victims; (3) the reasons given for why a person becomes a suicide bomber would reflect more often those discussed in scientific research and less often those commonly presented in the media; and (4) the reasons given would differ between target words and context. Results mostly confirmed the hypotheses. Although context information seems to outweigh the connotati...
8 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a study aimed to explore the experience of service life in Northern Ireland and investigate how the circumstances of retirement impact upon well-being, finding that both early retirement from the prison service and the perception of being forced to retire were associated with greater psychological distress and lower self-esteem.
Abstract: The men and women employed by the Northern Ireland prison service served through some of the most infamous events in the course of the ‘Troubles’. In 1998 a downsizing initiative was launched which resulted in over 1000 prison personnel accepting early retirement packages. This study aimed to explore the experience of service life in Northern Ireland and investigate how the circumstances of retirement impact upon well‐being. Ninty‐nine retired prison officers participated in the study, 80% of whom were early retirees. Each participant completed several measures of well‐being and a series of open‐ended questions regarding their experiences of service life. Both early retirement from the prison service and the perception of being forced to retire were associated with greater psychological distress and lower self‐esteem. Qualitative analysis revealed a high level of loyalty to the prison service and pride in the role of prison officer. However, participants also expressed feeling of rejection and disappointm...
4 citations
TL;DR: The definitional problem of what is terrorism has long vexed those interested in exploring the diverse phenomenon of political violence as mentioned in this paper and Provizer (1997, p. 3) notes that "[al]though the subject...
Abstract: The definitional problem of ‘what is terrorism?’ has long vexed those interested in exploring the diverse phenomenon of political violence. Provizer (1997, p. 3) notes that ‘[al]though the subject ...
3 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the author was going to start his talk with the introductory A dhaoine uaisle, but somebody has advised him not to do so because of the potential...
Abstract: Tratona maith! Ca hifuil tu? (Good afternoon. How are you?). I was going to start my talk with the introductory A dhaoine uaisle …, but somebody has advised me not to do so because of the potential...
3 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors argue that academic debates on how and why terrorism is defined should not be reserved solely for abstract discussions about concepts of power, legitimacy and subjectivity, but should also include empirical, interdisciplinary case studies.
Abstract: This article argues that academic debates on how and why terrorism is defined should not be reserved solely for abstract discussions about concepts of power, legitimacy and subjectivity, but should also include empirical, interdisciplinary case studies. Through the examination of UK legislation, debates of the Houses of Parliament and government commissioned reports and consultation papers, this article will demonstrate that a critical analysis of a particular case study can address some of the questions raised by philosophical debates on the definition of terrorism: how is terrorism defined? Who defines terrorism and why? What accounts for changing interpretations of what constitutes a terrorist or a terrorist organisation? Is there a single definition of terrorism that is acceptable to all societies? By examining how and why the definition of terrorism has evolved in UK law over the twentieth and twenty‐first centuries, this article adds an empirical dimension to the academic debate on definitions of te...
3 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the effect of terrorism on support for government retaliation was studied in Peruvian and US undergraduates to experimentally manipulated newsflashes of terrorist attacks that varied according to target (civilian, commercial, military), impact (high, low) and frequency of attack (first, latest in a series).
Abstract: Given an increasingly globalized world connected via instant news sources, terrorism has emerged as a transnational concern. To determine the effect of terrorism on support for government retaliation, we randomly assigned 288 Peruvian and 586 US undergraduates to experimentally manipulated newsflashes of terrorist attacks that varied according to target (civilian, commercial, military), impact (high, low) and frequency of attack (first, latest in a series). A significant Target × Impact × Frequency × Gender × Country interaction emerged. Separate analyses by country demonstrated variability in Peruvians' retaliatory preferences and sensitivity to the economic costs of terrorism. Unlike pre‐9/11 studies, US respondents did not appear to base their retaliatory preferences on the temporal dimension of terrorist conflict. We explain our findings in terms of the ecological context of each country and national narratives reflected in the schemas of its citizens, and identify their applied and research implications.
TL;DR: The authors discusses the US Army's perspective on insurgents and terrorists, and describes steps they are taking while partnering with Iraqi security forces to diffuse the actions of both in preparation for complete independence.
Abstract: Focusing on 2009 and early 2010, this article discusses terrorism in view of the US Army’s experiences in Iraq. Beginning as a high‐intensity or conventional ‘state‐versus‐state’ war, the conflict in Iraq soon slid into low‐intensity warfare, a category including insurgencies, counter‐insurgency operations, peacekeeping and peace enforcement operations. This shift, along with the complex challenges of state‐building, was unanticipated by the US Army and sparked an overhaul of military strategy and understanding of insurgents and terrorism based on recent experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan. This article discusses the US Army’s perspective on insurgents and terrorists – insurgents are seen as having a goal of overthrowing the government while terrorists use calculated violence as a tool to cause fear, coercion and intimidation that may or may not support an insurgency – and describes steps they are taking while partnering with Iraqi security forces to diffuse the actions of both in preparation for complete...