The Mind of the Terrorist: The Psychology of Terrorism from the IRA to Al-Qaeda

by Jerrold M. Post

Book Overview

In contrast to the widely held assumption that terrorists as crazed fanatics, Jerrold Post demonstrates they are psychologically "normal" and that "hatred has been bred in the bone". He reveals the powerful motivations that drive these ordinary people to such extraordinary evil by exploring the different types of terrorists, from national-separatists like the Irish Republican Army to social revolutionary terrorists like the Shining Path, as well as...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0230612695
• ISBN13: 9780230612693
• Release Date: December 2008
• Publisher: St. Martins Press-3PL
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.9" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

Great book!!

Bought this for class, it was a great book, which broke down many terrorist organizations!!

very good analysis

if you are looking for a book that will alarm you and justify you own prejudices against certain groups of terrorists, this book is not for you. if you are genuinely seeking an objective analysis of the cognitions and emotions of terrorists, then this is a very good summary analysis of different types of terrorism based on motivation. the writing style is somewhat dry, most of the time. however, he offers very good, cogent insights. he makes sincere efforts to reach out and better comprehend the underlying psyche of the terrorist, so that inroads might be made in reducing the threat of terrorism in the world today. prone to pontificate, i wouldn't recommend this book for those with a closed mind or those not used to this style. for those who want to read one of the very finest texts on psychological understanding of terrorism, this is highly recommended. i give it an "A+". for interested readers, post's book on clinton and hussein is also revealing and fascinating - although dry.

A must read for any professional in the field

If you ever wonder how those terrorists can do what they do this is the book for you. This book is the best one volume catch all book on about every terrorist group that there is. The author does a great job diagnosing what motivates each of those groups he highlights. He puts you into the mind of each group in a short, concise narrative on the group. You can see what motivates them to do what they do. His information is very applicable, right out of the newspaper. He goes over both FARC and PKK. Both groups recently had their chapters of fame in the world's newspapers just within the past month. Through every chapter you can see terrorists aren't like us. Each group is motivated by a slightly different cause. However it is easy to say that they all aren't like the average American. We are fooling ourselves to think otherwise. The author does offer some great tips on how to fight terrorism. His tips are real thought provoking and worthy of a look by all.

From ETA, The IRA, FARC to HAMAS, Hizballah ect.

Based on interviews and quotes, the author profiles many movements whether open insurgencies or relatively close - small groups. From Europe to America and the Middle East, strikingly many share the same "normal" perspective: "I'm fighting against the aggressor".