The Psychology of Terrorism

Terrorism is a topic of discussion that has gained massive attention in the last few decades, particularly after the world-stopping event of 9/11, where two hijacked planes were flown into the iconic World Trade Centre of New York City. After that event, there were subsequent attacks, many of which occurred in major world cities, such as London, Paris and Berlin.

Terrorist organisations are limited in resources and military capabilities compared to their targets, such as those of advanced Western nations. Terrorist organisations understand they stand no chance in wide-scale conflict against their perceived enemies, so they adopt other psychological strategies to achieve their objectives.

The most significant psychological factor that terrorist organisations leverage is fear. Therefore, it’s posited that terrorists achieve their goals not in the number of casualties but in creating public fear and a sense of vulnerability. While fear at the individual level may not make much difference, widespread fear across an entire population can greatly impact that society’s social and political fabric. Widespread public fear usually results in the erosion of trust towards government and politicians, potentially influencing electoral outcomes.

Terrorist organisations leverage the power and influence of mass media to achieve their objectives. It’s been said that media is the oxygen of terrorism, helping to maximise the audience of observers. While terrorist organisations typically leveraged mainstream media to disseminate their messages and showcase their violence, they now use social media to do so. Bypassing the mainstream media journalists has given terrorist organisations more control over which messages get disseminated, having profound emotional effects on fuelling public fear. Studies indicate that increased media exposure through channels like Twitter and YouTube has increased traumatic symptoms among observers.

Terrorists only have a limited capacity for physical destruction, so they leverage other strategies such as public fear, mass media and psychological biases to achieve their goals of social and political erosion of their targets.