Terrorism, Political Violence, and Extremism: New Psychology to Understand, Face, and Defuse the Threat

A must-read for psychologists—clinical and academic alike—as well as for political scientists, policy analysts, and others working in the realm of terrorism, political violence, and extremism, this book carefully explores the theories, observations, and approaches of authorities in the field and addresses how and why terrorism has perpetuated for so long.

Terrorism is now a regular topic in the news rather than a rare or an unusual occurrence. The possibility of violent terrorist acts constitutes a legitimate safety concern, regardless of one's country of residence: no longer can anyone assume that their location is beyond the reach or outside the targeted areas of any number of terrorist groups. Terrorism, Political Violence, and Extremism: New Psychology to Understand, Face, and Defuse the Threat examines why the number of terrorist attacks has greatly increased since the attacks on September 11, 2001 occurred, including well-known events such as the Madrid train bombings (2004), the London Underground bombings of 2005, the San Bernardino and Paris attacks (2015), and countless others, particularly in the Middle East and Africa.

Beyond providing a careful and up-to-date assessment of the state of terrorism worldwide, which includes coverage of the religious and political origins of terrorist activities, the book pinpoints less-recognized and rarely studied aspects of terrorism, such as terrorism hysteria, sexuality, shame, and rape. The diverse perspectives within this unified volume are relevant to a breadth of subject areas, such as international psychology, military psychology, political science, political theory, religious studies, military theory, peace studies, military sciences, law enforcement, public health, sociology, anthropology, social work, law, and feminist theory.

• Addresses how various groups are affected by terrorism, including children, older adults, and, arguably more relevant than ever before, refugees
• Tackles the perplexing question of why terrorism has remained such a difficult problem to overcome
• Includes contributions from Islamic subject matter expert, scholar, and author Dr. Sayed Ammar Nakshawani, listed among The 500 Most Influential Muslims
• Serves as appropriate reading for students taking courses in subjects ranging from international psychology, military psychology and theory, political science, and political theory to religious studies, peace studies, military sciences, law enforcement, social work, feminist theory, public health, sociology, and anthropology