What are the factors that lead some individuals to become terrorists? In this book, a psychiatrist and psychoanalyst examines case histories of terrorism and reveals how radicalized youths living next door can become dangerous homegrown terrorists.
Religious zeal and passionate dogma can be powerful motivators for homegrown recruits of terrorist organizations. In this book, Peter A. Olsson, MD, applies his years of work with disordered personalities to the psychological understanding of why seemingly ordinary Americans turn into murderers of their countrymen. He identifies the psychodynamic patterns of the lives of those who become homegrown terrorists and commit acts of cold-blooded murder, examining 20 detailed case histories of individuals-often youths or young adults-to provide theoretical and practical understandings.
The book focuses on individuals that include Timothy McVeigh; Ted Kaczynski, a.k.a. The Unabomber ; the Shoe-Bomber Richard Reid; Colleen LaRose, a.k.a. Jihad Jane ; Nidal Malik Hasan, an American-born, former U.S. Army officer who opened fire on American troops at Fort Hood, Killeen, TX, killing 13 and injuring more than 30; and Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tzarnaev, the two brothers charged with placing pressure cooker bombs at the finish line area of the 2013 Boston Marathon. It also delves into topics such as distinguishing between good charisma in a youth versus evil charisma and recognizing the characteristics of a healthy group or leader versus those with unhealthy motivations-subject matter that will be of interest and importance to anyone from concerned citizens and parents to teachers and terrorism specialists.
Presents a detailed study of 20 homegrown terrorists’ life situations and psychodynamics that will not only answer questions for general readers, such as What were the two brothers behind the Boston Marathon bombings really like? but also supply psychiatrists, psychologists, law enforcement officers, and homeland security experts with invaluable insights for interviewing possible homegrown terrorists
Pinpoints reasons for radicalization among young people at a vulnerable, in-between period in their lives, such as conflicts with parents, disagreement with their parents’ views about religion, or the perception that they are hypocritical
Covers acts of domestic terrorism in the 20th century ranging from the activities of the Weather Underground group in the 1970s to Timothy McVeigh’s truck bombing of the Federal Building in Oklahoma City in 1995 to the Boston Marathon bombings of 2013
