cover image The Mind of the Terrorist: The Psychology of Terrorism from the IRA to Al-Qaeda

The Mind of the Terrorist: The Psychology of Terrorism from the IRA to Al-Qaeda

Jerrold M. Post. Palgrave MacMillan, $27.95 (311pp) ISBN 978-1-4039-6611-7

Those who believe there's a fundamental difference between themselves and terrorists may be alarmed by what they discover in this psycho-social investigation from Post, a professor of Political Psychology and International Affairs at George Washington University. Through comprehensive histories of people stripped of their land, identity and/or independence by governments with skewed (or self-serving) ideas of justice, Post maps the formation of terrorist mindsets-which prove neither as foreign nor as psychotic as their actions might appear. Post is objective and perceptive while identifying and exploring three types of terrorism: national-separatist, social-revolutionary and religious-extremist. Analyses of beliefs and motives-often taken from the personal statements of members and leaders-illustrate how a psychologically normal person becomes an agent of extraordinary violence. According to Post, understanding the psychology and sociology of terrorists is vital in a true war on terrorism, which is, after all, often rooted in conflicting ideologies. Concluding with a plausible strategy for waging such a war, Post adds critical knowledge to the ongoing debate over how best to deal with terrorism.