The typical psychological profile of the terrorist

Every time there is a terrorist attack, everyone asks the same thing: "How have they been able to do something like this?" Is it necessary to have some kind of psychopathology to perform this type of act? What profile do these people have? How is someone capable of losing their life for an ideal?

The apparent irrationality factor of the terrorists is what most confuses the victims, who cannot find logical explanations for the actions carried out.

Terrorism and mental illness: myth or reality?

To begin with, it is important to know that there is no proper mental disorder for these people from the point of view of clinical psychology. Are not psychopaths. Therefore, in the legal sense they are totally attributable persons from the legal point of view. They are aware of their actions, both in responsibility and in the ability to govern their will. However, some psychologists speak of social or political pathology. They often lack feelings of guilt due to their beliefs. They are considered martyrs. In them, the

dichotomous thinking, that is to say, "either you are with me or you are against me."

His ability to kill or lose his own life may be due to historical or ideological, promises of ascension to paradise, social ratification or simply well-being for him and / or his family. The terrorist's intent goes far beyond simple multiple murder. Your goal includes causing the psychological effect of chaos, producing helplessness, hopelessness, terror, fear, insecurity. The terrorist believes that he has a purpose, he may even consider himself a savior of society.

The typical profile of the terrorist

The profile is usually a young boy, between 20 and 35 years old. The difficulties of social adaptation of these generations can favor these challenging acts that go to the point of giving their lives for values, without this implying a psychiatric disorder in itself same. They are usually the children of immigrants who now live in the West, but who have not managed to adapt (or we have not let them) in the Western system.

They are not different from us. In fact, human beings in extreme situations are capable of carrying out this type of activity with absolute normality. An example? The World Wars or the Spanish Civil War. Not to mention social and political situations like the Nazi Holocaust. In them you could get to kill the neighbor for the simple fact of being on the other side. This is where the concept of social categorization, where the fact of categorizing makes us "us" and "them".

Regarding the group, there are group pressures and group perceptual distortions. An overgeneralization occurs, in which everything revolves around your beliefs and thoughts. His ideology you can master what they do and what they think. They consider their group superior and the need to deserve control and power. They feel their group condition, they have moral, religious or nationalistic ties.

Ideology, dogmatism and derealization

They undergo a process of disconnection from reality slowly, as well as a loss of empathy with their victims. Have strong feelings of belonging and group cohesion. They are individuals who do not act in isolation and individually. Within the group, personal needs that society has not provided are met. They provide them with values, motivations, and even hope. As well as the possibility of playing a role in group actions. All this can even lead to recognition and prestige that they have never had, becoming an existential motivation and a search for group acceptance.

The group covers their communication needs, to be heard. So that they end up creating shared ideas in the group and therefore reinforcing the cohesion of the members. That supposes greater group identification, greater obedience, due to the need to continue belonging to the group and even the possibility of carrying out some type of conduct that produces visible results within society to show their commitment to "their own".

Fanaticism and the psychological factors that trigger it

What in psychology is called "tunnel vision" can appear in moments of maximum pressure, that is, in a situation of danger or high activity, together with physical and mental pressure, the vision is simply focused on some common object or danger that presents itself (in this case it would be society western). Hierarchies, discipline or respect for authority are some of the group norms that are established. The same group pressure demands the absence of doubts and criticism.

The subject, sometimes, considers himself a victim of the system, showing severe identity problems. Many are born in the West, where they do not feel integrated. They do not sit on one side or the other. This, together with social networks, favors the recruitment of young people who need to obtain an identity, a future, a meaning to their life.

Are they fanatics? Can be. Westerners are too. We also bomb their cities without any problem, for the simple fact of being "them" and not "us". Do not confuse all this with brainwashing. The simple feeling of belonging can provoke a radicalization of the subjects, a great basic example is the radicals of the soccer teams.

Definitely, the suicide bomber is made, not born.