Understanding Terrorism brings the many resources of psychological science
and practice to bear on the problem of terrorism by providing empirically based
theory and interventions for understanding, intervening, and preventing this
challenge to international security. The volume addresses many of the conceptual
and definitional issues associated with terrorism, especially those arising
from the complex historical and cultural variations in its meaning, motives,
and consequences. Terrorism, by definition, attempts to change the psychological
state of its targets, so psychologists are well positioned to cast light on
this phenomenon. In this volume, leading international experts offer an incisive
analysisof the psychosocial basis of terrorism and suggest ways to prevent
it, including both strategies to eliminate the conditions that give rise to
terrorism as well as effective ways to treat victims of terrorism.
