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The Mind of the Terrorist
Author(s): Jerrold M. Post (Author)
- Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
- Publication Date: 10 Dec. 2007
- Language: English
- Print length: 288 pages
- ISBN-10: 9781403966117
- ISBN-13: 1403966117
Book Description
A psychiatrist examines why terrorists decide to attack and how we can combat them.Featuring a distinctive and original perspective, this book offers depth and breadth and provides an analysis of the psychology behind terrorism.It has a wide focus – not just Middle Eastern terrorism, and provides a broad look at a wide selection of terrorists, from American terrorists to IRA bombers and Maoist guerrillas.Post gets extensive media attention – often serving as a talking head on the issue of terrorism, Post has been mentioned in “The New Yorker”, CNN, “The Seattle Times”, the BBC, and “The Guardian”.It contains unique interview material.Terrorism did not begin with 9/11. This book remembers the long history of terrorism and considers the question: what makes people terrorists? By looking into the mind of terrorists, Post sheds light on their paths to pathology and provides detailed analysis of how to combat them in the contemporary world.
Editorial Reviews
Review
“‘Terrorism is a form of psychological warfare, requiring a psychologically sophisticated response based on an understanding of how terrorists think. Jerry Post provides us a road map-not only of the mind of the terrorist-but also how we can use that understanding to dissuade, deter, and destroy terrorist groups. The strategy Post develops is based on decades of studying violent individuals, including interviews of terrorists, some of which he describes in detail in these pages. Post is a teacher of terrorism teachers-and his latest offering is a gift to all who wish to understand the myriad psychological roots of terrorism.’ -Jessica Stern, author of Terror in the Name of God and Academic Director of the Program on Terrorism and the Law at Harvard Law School, USA ‘Dr. Jerrold Post is a pioneer in the study of terrorist psychology. In this capstone book, he takes us into the minds of the terrorists through their own words, persuasively demonstrating how disturbingly ‘normal’ they are in their own cultural and historical contexts. He makes a powerful case that to deter terrorists we must understand their psychology, and lays out a comprehensive strategy for countering their vicious forms of psychological warfare. Only by countering them at the level of their destructive mindsets can we more effectively compete in the ‘war for hearts and minds.’ -Richard H. Solomon, President, U.S. Institute of Peace”
About the Author
JERROLD M. POST is Professor of Psychiatry, Political Psychology, and International Affairs at George Washington University Medical Center, USA.
