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Mechanistic theories of motivation
Mechanistic theories of motivation
Internal and External Motivation
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What internally drives a terrorist’s motivation varies from subject to subject. While the average American citizen would likely be quick to point terrorists hate the western way of life and what it represents, the issue is far more complex. Simon Cottee’s article “What Motivates Terrorists?” (2015), looks at various levels of motivation. Prior definitions of terrorism looked at the defining cause as possibly psychological abnormalities within in the individual (Cottee, 2015). As studies have evolved, the focus has shifted to the environment in which the terrorist is surrounded. While certainly there is cases in which a person who is mentally unstable could be an ideal target for terrorist propaganda, the number of cases involving mental
The reason I picked this book is because I have always been curious about terrorism. Truthfully, I really didn’t expect the book to take the stance it did, which focused mainly on the religious implications of what influences people to commits acts of terror. I liked the fact that the book takes new angles in approaching the search for truth, by focusing on case studies and performing interviews with the people who have committed terrorist acts. This is like getting the insiders view of the inner workings and frame of mind people have before, during, and after they have unswervingly performed the acts of violence.
Speckhard, A. (2013). The Boston Marathon Bombers: the Lethal Cocktail that Turned Troubled Youth to Terrorism. Perspectives On Terrorism, 7(3). Retrieved from http://www.terrorismanalysts.com/pt/index.php/pot/article/view/268/540
In today’s society the word “terrorism” has gone global. We see this term on television, in magazines and even from other people speaking of it. In their essay “Controlling Irrational Fears After 9/11”, published in 2002, Clark R. Chapman and Alan W. Harris argue that the reaction of the American officials, people and the media after the attacks of 9/11 was completely irrational due to the simple fact of fear. Chapman and Harris jump right into dismembering the irrational argument, often experienced with relationships and our personal analysis. They express how this argument came about from the terrorist being able to succeed in “achieving one major goal, which was spreading fear” among the American people (Chapman & Harris, para.1). The supporters of the irrational reaction argument state that because “Americans unwittingly cooperated with the terrorist in achieving the major goal”, the result was a widespread of disrupted lives of the Americans and if this reaction had been more rational then there would have been “less disruption in the lives of our citizens” (Chapman & Harris, para. 1).
Robert Fisks’ article “The cult of the suicide bomber” , published in 2008, addresses the rise and a cult like glorification of suicide bombers in the Middle East. Fisk posits that this increase is, in part, due to the US and their coalition forces declaration of a ‘war on terror’.
Despite numerous high-profile terrorist attacks that have been committed by individuals operating independently from terrorist groups, little attention has been given to explaining how these lone actor terrorists can emotionally perform violent acts against others. Recent studies of violence suggest that micro-level situational factors are essential in emotionally enabling violent action. Perhaps the most critical factor is enabling violence is situational emotional dominance. This dominance is most often established through several group dynamics that include an entrainment with the physical and emotional states of confederates, mutual monitoring (a form of peer pressure), as well as the role of emotionally supportive observers. Indeed, Collins highlights the
“You can’t win the war on crime, or the war on terror. You can’t repeal human nature.” (Robert Harris). Robert Harris is a writer and a former journalist for the BBC. He examines the war on terror in this quote saying it is unwinnable and it is just human nature for people to terrorize and commit crimes. If this is true, the US government has been spending money and resources on a war that is unwinnable. But, this is just someone's opinion, right? The argument of the validity of the war on terror will be examined as well as how the US should cease funding for it because it is destroying the economics and society of the United States.
A United States citizen turning against one’s own government and embracing an ideology to kill another citizen or commit an act of violence is a growing phenomenon commonly known as homegrown terrorism. This transition or radicalization process that transforms an individual into an adversary has intensified since the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. The problem continues to persist in other parts of the world such as Canada, United Kingdom and even in Saudi Arabia, a Non-Western country. This form of extremism has shown its propensity in the United States since the turn of the century when Muslim extremism had its early beginnings as a venue to support a black separatist movement. Today, the threat emerges more rampantly with the accessibility and excess of information technology; as well as the political and socio-economic environment influencing many spectrums of perception and intent.
Trying to decipher the mentality of terrorism and the fledgling terrorists to be is certainly an intriguing topic. There are too many unknowns in the human psyche to truly break down what really contributes to radicalization. The fundamental factors that lead individuals towards terrorist organizations, religious cults and violent and destructive riots is the needs of the weak willed to be a part of something larger than themselves. Ignorance of others customs, courtesies and cultural practices coupled with religion tends to be the driving factors, many distort to influence hate in future radicals. Sarah Kershaw discusses extremist beliefs justifying violence with a higher moral condition set by their religion, ethnicity and or national political struggles (2010). Through that reasoning people are able to justify violence as a means of influence or control over a given situation or purpose. To me this breaks down as the criminally culpable ignorance of the many lead by the charismatic and deceitful few.
Terrorism is used around the world to create fear and influence the public on political views (Siegel, 489). There are four views of terrorism including the psychological view, socialization view, ideological view, and the alienation view. A religious terrorist would most likely fit under the ideological view. In this view the terrorist feels the need to change a wrong opinion and believes that, because they are sacrificing themselves for something they believe so strongly in, it justifies the damage and harm done to innocent people (Siegel, 490). They use terror to create fear in anyone who opposes them and attract followers to their religion. In short, terrorism is widely used for political reasons but religion has been linked to the violence as well.
On September 11, 2001, there was a terrorist attack against the United States. Hijackers flew a jetliner into each of New York’s World Trade Center towers. Simultaneously, a third jetliner crashed into the Pentagon in Virginia. A fourth plane flew into a rural field in Pennsylvania after the crew attempted to regain control of the aircraft. Due to these horrific events, thousands of people died. In response to the attacks, the United States declared a “War on Terror.” However, the actions of the U.S. did not come without criticisms from the people of the nation.
Motivation is broken up into three categories when it comes to terrorist, those three forms of motivation are revenge, renown, and reaction. It is these motivations that
The most important foundation of an effective de-radicalization platform is to have highly individualized approaches. This component should address the deficiency needs of an individual: physiological and psychological. Like most individuals, a terrorist most basic need is for physical survival, and this will be the first thing that motivates his behavior. According to Maslow (1943), the satisfaction of certain needs motivates people and that some needs take priority over the others. Physiological needs such as food, water, shelter, and security should be satisfied first before dealing with one’s sense of belongingness, relationships and self-esteem. Therefore, it is vital to prioritize the detainee’s basic needs before attempting to change
In the past, it was common place for scholars to classify terrorist acts as pathological manifestations of an individual’s own psychological shortcomings.
Mansdorf, I. and Kedar, M. 2008. The Psychological Asymmetry of Islamist Warfare. Middle East Quarterly, 15 (2), pp. 37-44.
Most Islamic would-be martyrs not only share these beliefs but have also grown up in a culture of despair: they have nothing to lose. Eliminate such poverty and you eliminate the breeding ground for terrorists. When the Bush administration speaks of eliminating terror, it does not appear to be talking about eliminating cultures of despair and the social conditions that lead one to want to give up one's life to martyrdom.