PSYCHOLOGY OF TERRORISM: what motivates people to become radicalized and join terrorist groups?

.

Abstract

This brief article aims to discuss the different currents of research in psychology regarding the possible motivations for ordinary people to become involved with terrorist groups, committing acts of extreme violence. It tours the different aspects of those that defend the existence of psychological disorders and those that conclude that there is a condition of normality in terms of mental health. It presents studies that seek to explain, in part, the behavior and motivation of suicide terrorists, the psychological impacts of conditioning and manipulation by charismatic leaders. It analyzes how beliefs can be distorted and directed towards hatred of a common enemy. It concludes that there is no evidence in current research that points to a single motivational profile, whether psychological, socio-environmental or religious, but rather a condition that involves a set of these factors.