Terrorism has destroyed many properties and killed many lives over the years. On the morning of September 11, 2001, four coordinated terrorist attacks by the Islamic extremist group al-Qaeda killed a total of 2,977 people from 93 different countries.
The horrendous event was later known as the "9/11 attacks" in memory of the day when thousands lost their lives, which changed the world. The al-Qaeda attack was considered the deadliest terrorist attack in U.S. history.
The al-Qaeda group engaged in acts of terrorism by deliberately sending two airplanes to crash on the upper floors of the North and South Towers of the World Trade Center complex. Due to the damage sustained from the impacts, the twin towers collapsed. A third airplane also crashed into The Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia.
The fourth attack was on Flight 93, a hijacked plane that crashed into an empty field in western Pennsylvania. Its passengers fought back upon hearing the series of attacks in New York and Virginia.
In summary, 2,953 people died in the attacks in New York, 184 people at The Pentagon, and 40 passengers on Flight 93. The world condemns this act of terrorism and has taken steps in preventing similar events from happening again. But what could possibly reinforce this behavior, and how are people attracted by terror?
Psychologists Explain Terrorism
Psychologists have examined the individual characteristics of former terrorists to find clues that could explain their willingness to engage in terrorism. While researchers mostly agree that terrorists are not pathological based on tradition and culture, they have discovered important insights after interviewing those former terrorists.
Dr. John Horgan, who directs the Pennsylvania State University's International Center for the Study of Terrorism, found that people who are more open to accepting the ideas of terrorism and radicalization are those who tend to feel angry or alienated.
They tend to believe that their political involvement does not help in making real change, identify themselves with the victims of social injustice, believe that violence is not immoral, and believe that the movement offers social and psychological rewards.
Some psychologists view terrorism in the political lens said that terrorism is "the warfare of the weak." That means groups resort to violent behavior because they lack material or political power to fight what they see as oppressive forces. In that sense, the acts of terrorist groups and government response influence each other.
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NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 11, 2001: (FILE PHOTO) A fiery blasts rocks the south tower of the World Trade Center as the hijacked United Airlines Flight 175 from Boston crashes into the building September 11, 2001 in New York City. Almost two years after the September 11 attack on the World Trade Center, the New York Port Authority is releasing transcripts on August 28, 2003 of emergency calls made from inside the twin towers. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
Terror Management Theory
Psychologist Tom Pyszczynski of the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs said that an unconscious fear of death might underlie the motivation behind terrorism and reactions towards it. Together with his colleagues, Pyszczynski developed terror management theory, which says that people unconsciously protect themselves from the fear of death using their culture and religion.
They tested their theory in dozens of tests and found that people defend themselves against death in ways that do not relate to the problem of death. These include clinging to their cultural identities by living to their culture's values and defending those values.
In their study summarized in the journal Behavioral Sciences of Terrorism & Political Aggression, they tested whether their theory applies to conflict between the countries in the Middle East and the West.
They found that the more people are reminded of their mortality, they are more likely to cling to the cultural beliefs of their groups, even supporting acts of violence against the other group. Iranians tend to support suicide bombing to the Westerners, Americans advocate on using military force against Islamic extremists even if it means killing thousands of civilians, and Israelis are more likely to condone violence against the Palestinians.
Furthermore, some psychologists also believe that collectivist mentality also plays a role in terrorism. Studies show that joining terrorist groups make people feel a sense of security and meaning that as individuals, they do not feel.
Efforts have been made in an attempt to de-radicalize these terrorists to prevent them from committing violence using peaceful dialogues and a helping hand. Psychologists said that these methods are no longer the pipe dream of an idealist as there seems to be an authentic success in using these methods.
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