Who Becomes A

Terrorist?

Psychological profile
Frederic J. Hacker (1976), an American

psychologist, once classified terrorists as

crusaders, criminals, or crazies, a view that
much of the public would probably accept as
accurate
Benarkah demikian?

Crazy?
No evidence that persons suffering from

mental disorders are overrepresented in the

ranks of terrorists, even though there maybe
individuals with problems in some groups.
The groups can not rely on individuals with

psychological problems because their mental

disorders make them potentially unstable and
put organizations at poor security
Suicide attackers, for example, have not

displayed suicidal tendencies as individuals.

Criminals/opportunists?
Criminals want to improve their opportunities

for financial gain by weakening the

government
Opportunist like white-merchant may join Ku

Klux Klan which provided useful personal

contacts in business

Crusader?
Crusader = those who are committed to the

cause that the organization is pursuing

Crusader, or believer, would display above

average dedication to the political objectives

of the group
They have the willingness to use violence that

require a higher level of commitment or belief

Anomie?
Anomie = someone who has been displaced from a

comfortable or supporting social structure into new

circumstances that are unstructured for them and may
even be chaotic
The dislocations that come with the economic, social, and

cultural changes associated with globalization and

modernization can create anomie
Examples: persons who move from rural villages to urban

area, immigrants, prison populations

All of the individuals in anomic situations can be attracted

to a variety of organizations, including radical and violent

Prison form a primary ground for both

radicalization and recruitment... In terms of

radicalization, prisons are in themselves
environments conducive to the radicalization
of alienated individuals who have dismissed
society and are in search of a new or higher
purpose in life (Korteweg et al. 2010: 32)

Age and Sex

To some extent terrorist groups involve teens and

younger adults. Older adults are underrepresented

The leadership cadres often involve older and
perhaps less physically fit individuals -> Sheikh
Ahmed Yassin of Palestinian HAMAS
Active members of terrorist groups are much more

likely to be males
But nowadays women have become more
important in many organizations and they have
increasingly become involved in attacks
themselves -> Ulrike Meinhof, Fusako Shigenobu

Nationalist/ethnic Groups
The groups tends to attract members from that ethnic

group or nationality; even though there may be

sympathetic and dedicated outsiders or opportunists
from other segments of the population
The large portions of population may disagree with the
groups terror tactics but they may still agree with the
general objectives
Difficult for government to gather information of the
group from the population since they perceived
grievances from government
Ethnic terrorist groups reflect tendency towards younger
and male activists but they still have been willing to use
women in their operations -> Algerian National
Liberation Front in late 1950s, LTTE, the Chechens

Religious Groups
Religious groups sometimes are seen as being

composed of committed individuals, some of them

extremely dedicated, who are driven by their spiritual
values
The members often are representative of broader
populations
Some religious groups involve older activists and often
attracted educated individuals (college graduates) ->
Dr. Azahari
These activists are also frequently members of small,
close-knit groups whose attitudes reinforce each other
(Atran, 2008) -> Ali Gufron, Amrozi, Ali Imron
Many religious groups have been less likely to involve
women as activists

There are two distinct types of religious

individuals who may be more likely to join a

terrorist group:
1) Recent converts who often are the most
adamant in their belief patterns
2) Immigrants in societies whwre the majority
religion is different; they find themselves
isolated in their new communities and can
not integrate into the majority society, it
make them turn to religious communities
instead for a social or support network

Ideological Groups
Left-wing and right-wing groups tend to be different

in many ways in terms of the characteristics of the

activists
Age: Left-wing groups had relatively youthful leaders
because the groups attracted and were largely
composed of students. Right-wing groups on the
contrary seem to usually have older leaders
Education: Left-wing groups have frequently included
large numbers of university students or recent
graduates. Right-wing groups on the other hand
appear to attract individuals with lower levels of
education
Sex: Women have played a more prominent role in
left-wing groups than in right-wing

Government Repression
Individuals who have lost family members or

close friends to the military, police often join

violent opposition groups to avenge the death
of individuals close to them (Silke, 2005) ->
the Black Widow suicide bombers of
Chechnya
Individuals with no link to terrorist groups are

likely to join such groups if they have been

vigorously questioned by the police and
mistreated or tortured in the process

Support Structure
Terrorist groups can provide a sense of

belonging for members and give individuals

support that they might not have -> solidarity
In fact, members of many groups do become
very dependent on the group for social
network and emotional support since they
often become increasingly isolated from the
broader society
Solidarity with the group becomes increasingly
important for the members; it is often difficult
for long-standing members to exit the group
and reintegrate into society