Terrorist Organizations Essay Example

There is an unlimited number of perceptions that are explained in which how one can become a suicide terrorist. For instance, some of many perceptions are the following: terrorists seek an injustice and desire for change; social influences become an ultimate motivator; the training that is given to recruits describe suicide missions as a sacrifice to the community, respective families; a greater good for the world itself and the terrorist organization. Terrorism can start from intense levels of religious, political, ideological conflicts, poverty, and even the negative aftermath of modernization. There are additional measures that terrorist leaders take to pursue suicide missions if their strategic means fail. Researchers have studied terrorism for a significant amount of time to discover that there is no ‘one true’ answer to a suicide terrorist.  

Terrorist organizations are known for using calculated and strategic measures that often lead to suicide missions. The promotion of a suicide campaign becomes likely when the intervention of four variables comes into effect: asymmetric conditions, feelings of stagnation or failure in the use of terrorist methods, the coexistence of several terrorist groups, and cognitive accessibility and pre-existence of a suicidal terrorist activity. In asymmetric conditions, terrorists believe that there is a power imbalance and therefore the only way to relay a message is by threatening the enemy. Furthermore, the feelings of stagnation, crisis, or failure in the use of other terrorist or insurgent methods occur when terrorists become extremely frustrated with their methods of provoking the enemy because of ineffective outcomes, therefore this leads terrorist groups to indulge in suicide missions. In addition, the coexistence of several terrorists or insurgent groups may directly or indirectly inspire others to come together to form larger terrorist organizations if the same objective or message is portrayed. Last but not least, cognitive accessibility and pre-existence of a suicidal terrorism activity illustrate a sense of inspiration because suicide bombers are seen as extremely courageous and heroic. Suicide tactics, therefore, become adopted by non-suicide organizations because of the escalation in sending a message to the enemy.

For centuries, researchers have studied terrorism behavior and analyzed the social-psychological, and social process models behind suicide terrorism. Kumar and Mandal (2014) mentioned that the process in which one becomes a suicide bomber can be illustrated best by the depiction of a staircase. Young men are recruited into this powerless, choiceless, manipulating group that makes them feel they will be honored in heaven and by the organization if they choose to become a martyr or self-sacrifice. Terrorist organizations teach young recruits that the terrorists are the victims, the ones in suffering, and it is up to the young to make a difference. Further research claims that young suicide terrorists are worshipped in a collective identity, where deindividuation develops, leaving terrorists to form a situation-specific type of norm. Overall, suicide terrorists are constructed into a social identity that becomes comfortable and one worth dying for. 

Aside from a social psychological standpoint, research does not indicate specific individual factors explaining a suicide terrorist. Furthermore, Researchers have not found empirical evidence that suicide terrorists are mentally unstable. Suicide terrorists are viewed as our everyday normal people. Although studies in psychology, criminology, and many more behavioral sciences have analyzed the risk factors of homicidal violence for centuries, it does not seem to be helpful in analyzing risk factors in terrorism. While terrorism is a type of violence, the evidence seems to vary differently for different age groups. Additional research has found that the interviews of suicide bombers shown a disorder of depression; however, a large number of martyrs experienced traumatic events prior to joining the terrorist group, so there still leaves a research gap. Therefore, several theorists have tried applying previous research to the studies of terrorism and it seems to still be an ongoing challenge.

In conclusion, researchers applied social-psychological, individual psychological, religious, political, and economic standpoints to examine suicide terrorism, in which there are no specific factors to explain the terrorism phenomena. The main ways in which one becomes a suicide terrorist seem to relate back to religious, political, ideological conflicts, and social psychological influences. Once one becomes a suicide terrorist, it can be depicted as a contract, it is then difficult to get out. Furthermore, it is more of a leader-follower type of organization, if the terrorist leader’s attempts fail towards the enemy, suicide missions are left up to the ‘follower,’ to complete. The followers (e.g., the young recruits) are typically swarmed into the organization because a sense of collective identity brings an intense level of comfort and one worth sacrificing for. Notably, further research has argued that empirical evidence provides no connection between terrorist and mentally instability.