TEXT:
Reading
1. Moral Psychology of Terrorism (2013) Introduction
2. Horgan, J. G. (2017). Psychology of terrorism: Introduction to the special issue. American Psychologist, 72(3), 199-204. doi:10.1037/amp0000148
Original Question:
For this week’s Forum, respond to the following: In our final week of the course, we will take a moment to reflect on the most noteworthy aspects encountered in the past eight weeks.
· In addition, identify one or two of the most meaningful interactions you have experienced in the discussion forums during these 8 weeks.
· This is an effective means of pulling together course concepts and reflecting on meaningful learning and sharing with your classmates what you believe were their contributions to shaping our classroom experience.
Reply to the following response with 200 words minimum. (please make response as if having a conversation, respond directly to some of the statements in below post. This is not providing an analysis of the original post. Respectfully address it and even ask clarifying or additional questions.)
1.
Good afternoon everyone!
Although the entire course was an enjoyable experience, I must say that the first half was more informative in my opinion from a psychological standpoint. Introducing terrorism and defining it to build a strong foundation for the course was a valuable experience and something that was required for a successful term. Additionally, where I believe that I gained the most knowledge from was week two and the motivation of a terrorist and the behaviors that they exhibit. This was my favorite week because instead of simply skimming the surface of terrorist activity we discussed in detail motivations and driving forces of the actual people that are often overshadowed by the term “terrorist”. Lastly, in terms of my favorite topics that added to my understanding of the psychology of terrorism was our discussion and work regarding suicide terrorism. I must admit that I was one of those who just assumed the actors of these actions were merely insane. However, that is not the case and I feel as though I have just as much understanding of what their process is than any one will without talking to the bombers themselves. Although it is undoubtedly very sad, it is still highly interesting and I am thankful I took the time to understand in more depth as to what is actually happening with those individuals.
Lastly, the most meaningful interaction I had was briefly addressed in my last paragraph. It involved week four’s suicide terrorist and the information that I read and learned about throughout the week. Making the connection that those individuals are likely not crazy and furthermore the grooming of adolescents in society to create more like-minded individuals for the future.
In closing, I have taken several courses here at AMU that covers the topic of terrorist and terrorism. However, nothing has come out of those courses that are any deeper than what any of us can watch on television or our computers. I enjoyed the depth at which this course took us to in our studies in the psychology of terrorism. I learned more than I had anticipated. Best of luck to everyone in their future endeavors.
-William
2.
I will have to say that these past eight weeks have been filled with all kinds of information and I have learned a whole different side to the term terrorism and terrorists. With that said I would like to start off with week w Motivation and Terrorist Behavior, emotions seems to be one of the many motivators that ignites a terrorist to act out. Motivation seems to also serve as the internal forces that helps to drive their behavior, and it determines what is meaningful, purposeful, powerful, and can lead an individual to act out. But in the case of terrorism however, motivation is done with a group and its ability to carry out their mission is also important to their success. Another motivator is based on religious purposes, political, ethnic preservation, cultural explanations that these terrorists can explain as to why they commit such heinous crimes against innocent people.
Radical Political and Religious Ideology, according to our lessons for week 3, the leaders of Islamist ideology use religion as their means to help them gain supporters and to help them to revolt against any type of changes that undermines their Islamic identity. These Islamic terrorists do not agree with Western culture and feel that it is their responsibility to wipe it off the map. These leaders also agree with the use of violence when it comes to conflicts and disagreements. Terrorists also believe that their act of violence is justifiable by normative and moral considerations.
Suicide Terrorism was discussed in week 4, where it states that the motivations for suicide bombers are placed into three different types of categories: ideological reasons, personal causes, and duty and obligation. For the suicide bomber this individual is motivated by an ideological reason, and the quest for support from their families and their society. Often times these individuals have nothing left in the world for them. They are often jobless, homeless, and they feel the sense loneliness. These individuals are often young people who are willing to sacrifice themselves for the greater good (Strenski, 2003).
I would have to say that I really enjoyed reading the weekly post of Christina Dye, because she was so informative and descriptive when she wrote her forum post. For instance, when we had to read and write about suicide bombers I felt that her piece was so descriptive especially when she described what a suicide bomber is. She puts it as a person who commits violent attacks upon others in which they will take their own life. A terrorist who becomes a suicide bomber is able to conceal a bomb on themselves with the knowledge of anyone knowing anything about it, therefore, they are able to carry out their mission successfully.
April Pierotti
Works Cited:
Strenski, I. (2003) Sacrifice, Gift, and the social logic of Muslim “human bombers” Terrorism and Political Violence, 15, 1-34 http://edge.apus.edu/portal/site/366636/tool/d1feb059-3c2c=4776-9
3.
First of all, I cannot believe that this is the last forum post we will have in this course. The time has flown by so quickly, although I have to say that I truly enjoyed this course. Working in the field that I am in has opened my eyes to terrorism and made me very aware of some of the things that the government looks for as far as a threat to national security. The reason I took this course was to broaden my knowledge of terrorism and gain useful information, and I am very glad I did because this course gave great insight that I can also apply daily at work. One topic that added to my understanding of the psychology of terrorism is that of political and religious ideology. The reason this stood out for me is that Roshandel, (2013) points out that these beliefs usually come with a leader that possesses a certain ego, like that of a God like figure, one who likes to hold the power over the group. These ideologies are very much like that of a cult, in their ways of thinking. Another topic that was discussed which stood out to me was that of a suicide terrorist. When I would think of a terrorist prior to this course, I would not think of someone acting alone, or as a “lone wolf”. The readings and discussions really opened my eyes about how someone acting alone can easily fall into a terrorist organization. Lastly, I would have to say that the discussion about counterterrorism is the discussion that I enjoyed the most. I thoroughly enjoyed the article about Abdurahman Khadr and reading what it was like for him to live among the terrorists that planned the attack of 9/11. I also thought it was fascinating that he ended up working with the CIA and did not share many of the same feelings about the attacks of 9/11 that the others in his group felt.
I would have to say that the one of the most meaningful interactions I have experienced in the forums was that about counterterrorism. I liked seeing how my classmates also felt when they read Abdurahman Khadr’s feelings about his father, Osama Bin Laden, and the attacks on 9/11. Another one of the most meaningful interactions I experienced in this course was when we were discussing the motivations of a terrorist and everyone interacted with one another giving their insight on theories such as those of Sigmund Freud and Jean Paul Sarte. Although I chose these two discussions, it was really hard to just pick two out of all of the topics and discussions that we had throughout the course. I really enjoyed all of the discussions with my classmates, as the different viewpoints from everyone makes me look at some things in a different light. Another thing that I really did not think much about before this course is the fact that many other countries look at the United States as though we are terrorists, just as we do them. It was very nice meeting everyone, and I wish you all the best of luck in your future endeavors!
Reference:
Roshandel, J., & Lean, N. (2013). The Moral Psychology of Terrorism: Implications for Security. Cambridge, England: Cambridge Scholars Publishing.
** Please don’t just rephrase their info, but respond to it. Remember to answer question at the end if there is one. **
