Social Psychological Approaches to Understanding and Preventing Terrorism

Abstract Although social psychologists have had a long-standing interest in intergroup relations and aggression, the attacks of September 11, 2001, and the ongoing threat of terrorism have prompted an exponential increase in the volume and breadth of related scholarship. Over the past several years, a distinct body of research has emerged to address the central questions of (1) who becomes a terrorist, (2) what motivates individuals to engage in terrorism, (3) responses to terrorism, and (4) steps to reduce the threat of terrorism in the future. Recent scholarship has started to adopt an increasingly interdisciplinary perspective, providing a more comprehensive frame of analysis including social, political, historical, cultural, and economic factors.