Терроризм как социально-психологическое явление. Практикум на английском языке

Psycho-programming can be used as elements of ideological training for residents of different nationalities in a specific region.

Features of socio-psychological maladjustment are associated with increased anxiety, closeness, orientation only on a narrow group of mentors, increased passivity, destruction of the personal sphere. In the presence of constantly unstable, inadequate self-esteem. And it can be as overpriced (before feeling like a superman deciding the fate of people), and understated (in need of confirmation at the expense of others). Purposefulness is only a fixed moment of psychological instability that has reached the level of abnormality.

Issues for discussion

1.Formation of liberal and democratic values. Crisis and transformation in all spheres of Russian society.

2.Socio-psychological factors of terrorist activity.

3.Psychological analysis of terrorist activities.

4.Motives for terrorist activities.

5.Sociocultural Caucasian archetype:

5.1.Traditional societies: the solidarist (communitarian) societies, conditioned by individual submission to a single whole.

5.2.The formation of a “culture of shame” in the mass consciousness.

5.3.The spread of the custom of blood feud.

5.4.The traditional motivation for militancy. Religious legitimation.

5.5.The activation of informal social mechanisms in adapting to new socio-economic conditions.

Methodological recommendations

1.Form a group of participants, trying to ensure the heterogeneity of its composition.

2.Think about all aspects of the problem, avoiding template, typical solutions. Try to use not only critical thinking, but also imagination, not hesitating to express even “absurd” ideas.

3.During the “brainstorming session”, students are asked to answer the following questions: What tasks should the peoples’ traditions solve in the context of countering terrorism? How is the process of forming a “culture of shame” in the mass consciousness? How to resist the spread of the spread of the custom of blood revenge?

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4.All participants should be provided with an equal opportunity to express their ideas; relations between them should be based on the principles of tolerance and mutual respect. The teacher, as necessary, should ask leading questions that will allow to give a new direction to the participants’ thoughts and prevent the repetition of similar ideas.

5.The procedure of brainstorming is not considered effective without subsequent examination of ideas. Experts group similar ideas and formulate the general principles that underlie each group. Discuss this problem by protecting or refuting the suggested points of view.

Terrorist activity is a complex, hierarchically constructed, multifunctional and dynamically developing system that has its own external psychological structure. Psychological analysis of activities involves the allocation in it of the main structural components and the establishment of the nature of the relationship between them. These include the motive, purpose, actions, methods, conditions, operations, means, the result of activity and feedback.

The central link in this chain is the motive. The basis of the psychological cognition of terrorism is an analysis of the motives for this phenomenon. They refer not so much to the goals of their actions as declared by terrorists, but rather to the subjective meaning of their criminal behavior, their psychological gain for the terrorist himself, including when he acts for material compensation. The latter circumstance is highlighted in connection with the fact that mercenary incentives only seem to be the only motives externally, and on the unconscious level, there are other equally powerful motives that are often leading.

Hence, the motive is not what lies on the surface and what the terrorist himself can explain, and, of course, not what is stated in the verdict. Under the motives of terrorist activity, in most cases we mean the subjects of their actual needs biased by its subjects, the satisfaction of which they associate with this activity. Crisis socio-economic processes, phenomena that impede the satisfaction of needs, are considered as motivational factors.

By the degree of a person’s adherence to certain beliefs, the latter can take the form of fanaticism, readiness for sacrifice for the sake of the idea. A special quality of a person is conviction, which determines the general orientation of all of its activities and acts as a regulator of its behavior and activities. Conviction is expressed in a deep and justified confidence in the

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truth of knowledge, principles and ideals that guided people, makes up the content of motives of activity, shapes the attitudes of the individual.

The installations represent a special moment, a person’s anticipation of goals and tasks, a position taken by him, which consists in a certain attitude towards these goals and tasks and is expressed in selective mobilization and readiness for activities aimed at achieving them.

Thus, the motivational formations that underlie terror can be very diverse. The typology of the motives of terrorist activity has been repeatedly discussed in the scientific press, and, naturally, there are different points of view. H. Newman identified three main motivations for terrorist activity. First, the culturological motif – when, according to the logic of terrorists, society should be “disturbed” from time to time, best of all “with the help of blood.” Secondly, rational motive – terror is interpreted by them as an effective tool of political activity. Thirdly, ideological motive – terror acts as a tool for regulating social processes.

S.A. Ethers distinguishes the following motives of terrorist activity:

1)self-assertion; 2) self-identification; 3) youth romance and heroism;

4)making your activity of special importance; 5) overcoming alienation, conformism, standardization, marginality, satiety, etc. Sometimes this mixes with selfish motives that can displace the ideological or intertwine with them. The author considers the main motive “ideological absolutism”, “iron” beliefs in possessing the only, higher, final truth, a unique recipe for the salvation of his people, a group or even humanity.

Also among the main motives of terrorist activity (“terrorist work”), the following groups of such motives stand out:

1. Mercantile motives. Terror, like any sphere of human activity, is paid work. Accordingly, for a certain number of people, this occupation is a way to earn money. Terrorists ignore any other interests than personal ones. They do not tend to change the existing order of things - it usually suits them. Behind the “screen” of imaginary-political ideas is easily seen the satisfaction of personal needs through violence against people; the main thing is to get personal benefits. Their actions, from their point of view, are motivated. However, whatever motives are put forward, the common trait of terrorists is the tendency to extremism and violence.

2. Ideological motives. These are more stable motives based on the coincidence of one’s own values of a person, his ideological positions with a terrorist ideology.

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3.Motives for transformation, active change of the world. These are the motives associated with understanding the imperfection and injustice of the existing world and the persistent desire to improve, transform it. Subjects of political terrorism are driven by an idea about the need to change the existing order of things. Regardless of the specifics of this idea (left or right extremism, clericalism, nationalism, racism, fascism, etc.), the actors of terrorist activity expect to make society live according to rules that they consider to be the only true ones, be it the introduction of the principles of social justice leading to building a “bright future,” the establishment of a totalitarian regime with a rigid division of people into the lower and upper classes or the formation of an Islamic state with the abolition of secular institutions.

4.The motive of his power over people, a deep motive. It is supported by unconscious fantasies about one’s own omnipotence. Violence is used to assert personal power, through violence a terrorist establishes himself and his personality, gaining power over people.

In the opinion of V. Pirozhkov, “no matter what clothes the terrorists gathered, no matter what goals they pursued (political – seizure of power, change of social order, moral – achievement of false” justice “, economic - elimination of hated competitors, religious – upholding purity faith, psychological – to get fame, become famous, leave a trace in history, etc.) – behind all this is the desire to experience power over people. It is not by chance that they say: power is always good. Power over people is a kind of drug, and who has at least once “tasted” it, he again and again seeks it. This is also shown by the study of the psychology of mercenarism of persons wandering from one conflict region to another. At a certain stage, they are no longer interested in money, the inevitable thrust is the very possibility of killing. Therefore, in the process of engaging in terrorism, the goal is lost, no matter how fair it may look, but there arises an indomitable thirst to experience power over people. “

5.The motive of the interest and attractiveness of terror as a sphere of activity. Here, not so much the pursuit of profit, but the desire to get a thrill. In this case, sometimes they talk about gaming motives. For a certain number of people, especially those who are well-off and sufficiently educated, terror happens to be interesting simply as a new, unusual sphere of study. They are occupied with the risk associated with terror,

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the development of plans, all sorts of details of the preparation of a terrorist act, the nuances of its implementation.

6.Companionable motives of emotional attachment in a variety of options – from the motivation for revenge for harm done to comrades in struggle, coreligionists, fellow tribesmen, associates in political activities, etc., to the motives of traditional participation in terror, because he was engaged by someone from friends, relatives, fellow tribesmen or co-reli- gionists.

7.The motive of self-realization is a paradoxical motive. Self-realiza- tion is, on the one hand, the lot of people who are strong in spirit, the fullest realization of the individual, her complete self-giving, the dissolution of a person in a terrorist act, up to self-sacrifice. However, on the other hand, such self-realization is the recognition of the limited possibilities and the insolvency of a person who does not find other ways of influencing the world, except violence and destruction. Such self-realization, turning self-destruction, means, first of all, recognition of the fact of psychological destruction of the individual.

It can be argued that, in addition to money, terrorist activity brings a tangible psychological benefit to a person.

Themes of the abstracts

1.Traditional societies: solidarist (communitarian), conditioned by individual submission to a single whole.

2.The formation of a “culture of shame” in the mass consciousness.

3.The spread of the custom of blood revenge.

4.The traditional motivation of militancy. Religious legitimation.

5.The activation of informal social mechanisms in adapting to new socio-economic conditions.

List of references on the p. 90.

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Chapter 3

SOCIO-PSYCHOLOGICAL ASPECTS

OF THE ANTI-TERRORISM EFFORT

Unit 7. Psychological mechanisms of mass media influence on people’s behavior under the danger of terrorist acts

The aim: to reveal psychological features of mechanisms of influence of mass-media on behavior of people in the conditions of danger of occurrence of acts of terrorism.

Competence acquired by the student as a result of mastering the topic of practical training or part of them: readiness to act in non-standard situations, to have social and ethical responsibility for the decisions made (GK-2).

Timeliness of the unit: the main goal of modern terrorism is the demobilization of society, its split, the formation of an atmosphere of fear, uncertainty and vulnerability. Despite the fact that terrorist acts occur much less frequently than major air accidents, accidents in coal mines or roads, the degree of subjective perception of risk, the likelihood of becoming the next victim of a terrorist attack in the average person is extremely high, especially in the first time after the crime.

Theoretical part

The main goal of modern terrorism is the demobilization of society, its split, the formation of an atmosphere of fear, uncertainty and vulnerability. Despite the fact that terrorist acts occur much less frequently than major air accidents, accidents in coal mines or roads, the degree of subjective perception of risk, the likelihood of becoming the next victim of a terrorist attack in the average person is extremely high, especially in the first time after the crime.

At the heart of such a reaction of fear and confidence in the repetition of the terrorist act lies its specificity and difference from other crimes and catastrophes.

Among them: purposefulness, destructive consequences; emotionally colored and memorable, including.

And thanks to the media, the nature of the incident; its unpredictability, unknown reasons and the impossibility of control and avoidance becomes accessible and frightening for the population.

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Scenes from the scene of the commission of terrorist acts for a long time and firmly imprinted in the memory of the man in the street. A distinctive feature of terrorism is the desire to intimidate a large number of people, the ambiguity of the motives of terrorists (for the population), the anonymity and the absence of specific targets of the attack.

In a terrorist act, physical sacrifices are a secondary goal, a means for spreading the fear of death to broad audiences through the media.

Its main goal is to activate and stimulate the fear of death in the townsfolk. At the same time, the intensity and degree of fear, as a rule, is inadequate to the extent of the real threat of the terrorist attack, far exceeding it.

Important factors of this disproportion are the uncertainty and unpredictability of further actions by terrorists, the helplessness of the authorities, which are perceived by the population through the media.

Speaking about the negative consequences of this type of crime, directly related to the media, special mention should be made of the process of legitimizing aggression among the population.

The legitimization of aggression is understood as the process of justifying the acceptability and justification of various forms of aggression by attributing them a legitimate status. The aggressive and violent actions of a soldier in the war, by which he attributes a legitimate status according to professional standards (“I execute the order”) and civil duty (“I defend my homeland”) can serve as an illustration. Aggression is endowed with a legitimate status in various public spheres: in sport (boxer’s actions in the ring); in the media (broadcast violence); in the political sphere (use of the armed forces, law on the death penalty); in the field of traditions, etc.

Therefore, the observation of scenes of violence in the media, including terrorist acts, can lead to a change in the attitudes of the man in the street to aggression and the manifestation of violence in real life. Frequent demonstration of violence leads not only to a decrease in sensitivity to it, the layman gets used to violence, perceives it calmly, without condemnation and, most dangerous, allows the possibility of using it to achieve his own goals. The translation of violence, and even more so of its effectiveness, leads to the fact that it begins to be perceived as a justified, just and useful tool. A person begins to imitate the behavior pattern he sees, which has more valuable qualities and acceptable ways of functioning for him. With the phenomenon of legitimization of violence, the process of

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changing the moral sphere of a person, the adoption of violence as a way of achieving one’s goals, is also connected. With the help of various techniques, a person is able to reduce the arisen self-condemnation and overcome the moral barriers that prevent the commission of violent actions. Effective, effective application of methods of self-justification contributes to the desire to again and again use violence for their own purposes, its consolidation in behavior.

A group of psychologists led by A. Bandura, with the help of a series of studies conducted among prison officers (“execution team”), formulated the main ways of self-justification, which terrorists, officers of law enforcement agencies and philistines resorted to in the process of legitimizing violence.

1. Moral self-justification.

When committing wrongful acts or violent actions sanctioned by the state, a person begins to interpret his behavior as necessary for the nation or committed in defense of the religion or ideology of the group to which he belongs. A frequent reference is to the Bible or other religious and ideological treatises. This facilitates the “reincarnation” of the offender into a “fighter for ...” or a respectable citizen in a fighter. There is a change not on the personal level (level of aggressiveness, etc.), but internal revision of views on violence, in particular, on murder, which makes it quite possible and justified to commit it. At the same time, the method of moral self-jus- tification functions more effectively if the violence committed is hidden behind lengthy, vague formulations or an intentional deficit of information on the consequences is created. In the case of state-sanctioned actions, the factors that increase the efficiency of this method include attributing the subject of violence to official powers, preferably within a group.

2. Utilitarian (economic and legal) self-justification. This method also applies to violent actions, which are sanctioned by

the state. In particular, the death penalty or acts of sabotage.

In the first case, it is a question of economically unfavorable life imprisonment of suicide bombers and their potential danger even behind the walls of prisons, in the second - about preventive actions that eliminate the potential threat to national security.

3. Comparison of their actions with other, more violent – “profitable comparison”.

For self-justification in the commission of violent actions, a person resorts to comparing his actions with others. But at the same time, as a

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standard for comparison, more violent acts are deliberately chosen. Similarly, a person rehabilitates himself, creates the impression of “neediness” and benevolence of the perfect deed. Creation of an image of the social desirability of an action occurs by attributing to it moral and social value. In particular, terrorists compare their own shares with power actions on the part of the state and vice versa.

As a result of the comparison there are justifications like: “criminals understand only the language of force ...” or “one tough and brutal force will prevent hundreds of crimes in the future ...”, “we are less, so we are ignored, and the only way to be heard is terror ...”.

But the fight against terrorists by their own methods can lead to contradictory consequences. On the one hand, using the same comparison, the state responds violently to violence: punitive operations are carried out, negotiations with terrorists are not conducted, etc.

This is done to prevent future terrorist attacks. But such a policy does not always justify itself. In particular, in the situation of hostage-taking, forceful methods of solution can “play” a negative role, since not only terrorists, but also hostages are at risk. In this case, the society can react ambiguously to the actions of the authorities.

The state can be viewed in an unfavorable light, namely how

A rigid and brutal institution of power that does not care about citizens, but blindly follows its principles. There is the image of a tyrant and despot, which in turn is extremely beneficial to terrorists and confirms their appeal to the brutality of the state, to which they resort in comparison. This can help support terrorists on the part of society; adopt their ideology, combat methods and, ultimately, the desire to join the ranks of the terrorist organization.

Thus, military actions lead to the elimination of a specific terrorist act, but can contribute to escalating the activity of terrorism in the future, as a response from certain sectors of society. Counterterrorism measures connected with infringement of civil freedoms of the population can lead to the same negative consequences (although this option is possible only in countries with a democratic system where people, unlike countries with a totalitarian regime, are not accustomed to such discrimination of their rights and openly this is stated).

4. Displacement of responsibility.

A terrorist, a soldier or a member of a team that executes a death sentence begins to explain his actions, referring to outside authorities,

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denying his own activity in the process of committing a violent act. A person characterizes himself as a passive performer, but not an organizer, referring to the law, subordination, order of the group leader, etc.

Thus, he reduces the process of self-condemnation and justifies his moral choice. Intermediate mechanisms of this method of self-justi- fication include deliberate ignoring of information on victims or consequences, which also helps a person to perceive himself as a bonded performer. Displacement of responsibility with a particular performer is achieved both by splitting the group into small parts and distributing a multitude of small responsibilities among its members.

Thus, every single action, for example, buying a car, renting a home to commit a terrorist act, or tightening the straps on the wrists of a suicide bomber is not interpreted and is not perceived as crucial in the overall process of committing a crime or execution.

5. Diffusion of responsibility.

Diffusion of responsibility is achieved in three ways:

–sharing responsibilities between team members. This contributes to the fact that a person concentrates not on the moral aspects of the deed, but on the technical;

–fragmentation of the process into many small parts, where each stage is seen by the performer as harmless and ordinary;

–group decision making, where anonymity and fragmentation contribute to minimizing the responsibility and self-condemnation of an individual group member.

As an example, in this case it is possible to give the answer of the officer of the execution team of death sentences (in A. Bandura’s research) to the question of self-condemnation and stress in connection with work. A member of the group completely denies their existence, referring to the fact that his actions do not lead to the sufferings of the convict and look quite harmless, and therefore he does not have any concern about the work (it should be clarified that the duties of this employee included the embarkation of the convicted person in an armchair and fixing hands with belts).

6. Dehumanization of the victim and attribution of guilt. The dehumanization of the victim occurs through a distorted assessment of human qualities. The victim ceases to be perceived as a living bearer of feelings, ideas, hopes, etc. Mass fear does not simply blind a

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