Moral Psychology of Terrorism: Implications for Security

The terrorism of the past decade has been driven by the interface of psychology, morality, faith, religion, and politics. This modern terrorism reflects terrorists’ pursuit of their beliefs and even aggressive promotion of the exclusivity of their world-views at the expense of the lives of those who do not share them. In this sense, the act of terrorism is fueled by arguments of morality and views that are rooted in the psyches and beliefs of terrorists.

Recent terrorism, wherever it spreads, under the banner of major monotheistic religious traditions or Hinduism, Buddhism and Sikhism, brings into the forefront the need to better understand the moral psychology of terrorism. This need is more critical in the areas where youths might be recruited and socialized or ‘brain-washed’ by terrorist leaders. The heinous events committed by terrorists and sympathizers against the citizens of New York, London, Madrid, Bombay, and various cities of Pakistan and Afghanistan further emphasize the need to understand terrorists’ moral psychology.

Examination of the moral psychology of terrorism opens up new insights into security issues. Indeed, a link between the psychology of terrorism and security analysis must be made. That is to say, terrorism and anti-terrorism measures must not be restricted to political and military plans. Rather, identifying and addressing terrorism and its implications for security requires that scholars and politicians delve deeper into the psyches of terrorists to avoid further insecurity.