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The changing face of terrorism in the 21st century: the communications revolution and the virtual community of hatred.
Behav Sci Law. 2014 May-Jun; 32(3):306-34.BS

Abstract

There are no psychological characteristics or psychopathology separating terrorists from the general population. Rather, it is group dynamics, with a particular emphasis on collective identity, that helps to explain terrorist psychology. Just as there is a diverse spectrum of kinds of terrorism, so too is there a spectrum of terrorist psychologies. Some terrorists, those in nationalist-separatist groups, such as Fatah and the IRA, are continuing with the mission of their parents who are dissident to the regime. The opposite generational provenance is seen among social-revolutionary terrorists, such as the Weather Underground and the Red Army Faction in Germany, who are rebelling against their parents' generation, which is loyal to the regime. Four waves of terrorism can be distinguished: the "anarchist wave"; the "anti-colonial wave" (nationalist-separatist), with minority groups seeking to be liberated from their colonial masters or from the majority in their country; the "new left" wave (social-revolutionary); and now the "religious" wave. With the communications revolution, a new phenomenon is emerging which may presage a fifth wave: lone wolf terrorists who through the Internet are radicalized and feel they belong to the virtual community of hatred. A typology of lone wolf terrorism is proposed.

Authors+Show Affiliations

The George Washington University, Washington, DC.No affiliation info availableNo affiliation info available

Pub Type(s)

Historical Article
Journal Article

Language

eng

PubMed ID

24888438

Citation

Post, Jerrold M., et al. "The Changing Face of Terrorism in the 21st Century: the Communications Revolution and the Virtual Community of Hatred." Behavioral Sciences & the Law, vol. 32, no. 3, 2014, pp. 306-34.
Post JM, McGinnis C, Moody K. The changing face of terrorism in the 21st century: the communications revolution and the virtual community of hatred. Behav Sci Law. 2014;32(3):306-34.
Post, J. M., McGinnis, C., & Moody, K. (2014). The changing face of terrorism in the 21st century: the communications revolution and the virtual community of hatred. Behavioral Sciences & the Law, 32(3), 306-34. https://doi.org/10.1002/bsl.2123
Post JM, McGinnis C, Moody K. The Changing Face of Terrorism in the 21st Century: the Communications Revolution and the Virtual Community of Hatred. Behav Sci Law. 2014 May-Jun;32(3):306-34. PubMed PMID: 24888438.
* Article titles in AMA citation format should be in sentence-case
TY - JOUR T1 - The changing face of terrorism in the 21st century: the communications revolution and the virtual community of hatred. AU - Post,Jerrold M, AU - McGinnis,Cody, AU - Moody,Kristen, PY - 2014/6/4/entrez PY - 2014/6/4/pubmed PY - 2015/1/22/medline SP - 306 EP - 34 JF - Behavioral sciences & the law JO - Behav Sci Law VL - 32 IS - 3 N2 - There are no psychological characteristics or psychopathology separating terrorists from the general population. Rather, it is group dynamics, with a particular emphasis on collective identity, that helps to explain terrorist psychology. Just as there is a diverse spectrum of kinds of terrorism, so too is there a spectrum of terrorist psychologies. Some terrorists, those in nationalist-separatist groups, such as Fatah and the IRA, are continuing with the mission of their parents who are dissident to the regime. The opposite generational provenance is seen among social-revolutionary terrorists, such as the Weather Underground and the Red Army Faction in Germany, who are rebelling against their parents' generation, which is loyal to the regime. Four waves of terrorism can be distinguished: the "anarchist wave"; the "anti-colonial wave" (nationalist-separatist), with minority groups seeking to be liberated from their colonial masters or from the majority in their country; the "new left" wave (social-revolutionary); and now the "religious" wave. With the communications revolution, a new phenomenon is emerging which may presage a fifth wave: lone wolf terrorists who through the Internet are radicalized and feel they belong to the virtual community of hatred. A typology of lone wolf terrorism is proposed. SN - 1099-0798 UR - https://www.unboundmedicine.com/medline/citation/24888438/The_changing_face_of_terrorism_in_the_21st_century:_the_communications_revolution_and_the_virtual_community_of_hatred_ DB - PRIME DP - Unbound Medicine ER -