Faces Of Terrorism: Multidisciplinary Perspective Analysis

There are a variety of reasons why individuals would seek involvement in terrorist organizations. It is human nature for human beings to want to be associated in groups that share certain commonalities, such as hobbies, pets, religion, sports, or specific ideologies. Terrorist organizations provide a specific ideology that caters to a very specific type of person. Generally speaking, the philosophy behind the terrorist organization is what lures terrorist prospects that are in search of a way to actively support a specific cause. The author of Faces of Terrorism: Multidisciplinary Perspective, David Canter, described the three phases of terrorism as becoming a terrorist, being a terrorist, and disengaging from terrorism (2009). There is a significant
“Leaving terrorism behind, either from an individual or collective perspective, might on the one hand suggest critical cognitive and social changes, in terms of abandoning the shared social norms, values, attitudes and aspirations so carefully forged while the individual was still an active member of a terrorist group – this is what is usually meant by the term ‘de-radicalization’” (Canter 2009). A better understanding of why individuals become radicalized will only aid in the understanding of why individuals disengage from terrorism. As I previously stated, there are many ‘root’ causes, such as victimization, that can lead an individual to radicalization. Additionally, ‘route’ causes are slightly different in their effect on the radicalization process for potential terrorists. Apparently, gradual socialization into terrorism is one of the main ‘route’ causes (Canter 2009). The ‘route’ to terrorism is considered gradual due to the initial level of involvement and interest. Through various activities and group involvement, the individual terrorist becomes more involved and interested. “A perceived sense of reward quite possibly represents the only common denominator across all potential terrorists in terms of understanding the common factors that
There are cases when individual terrorists become physically disengaged from terrorism, while they still remain psychologically involved. In some cases, the individual terrorist leaves the terrorist organization due to a conflict of beliefs or some other major changes in the individual’s life. “Often there can be physical disengagement from terrorist activity per se, but no change or reduction in ideological support (or indeed, the social and psychological control that the particular ideology exerts on the individual)” (Canter 2009). There are many physical occurrences that can cause an individual to be physically disengaged from terrorism while still maintaining their psychological support to their cause. For example, individual terrorists who disengage physically (and not psychologically) may have been subject to certain situations such as being arrested or kicked out of their organization by leadership. In both of these situations, it is highly likely that the individual terrorists would still be radicalized; whether or not they are still associated with their terrorist organization or not. Conversely, it would seem that in many cases, the psychological disengagement from terrorism is accompanied with de-radicalization. There are many psychological and