Page 24 - Сигурност и отбрана - брой 2 - 2023

Сигурност и отбрана, брой 2, 2023 г. Научно списание

FAMILY TERRORISM OR A CONSCIOUS CHOICE

Dimo Ivanov

Abstract: The article is aimed at presenting the connection between the science of
psychology and the phenomenon of terrorism. It reveals the importance of personality
socialization and the need for a sense of belonging. It also discloses the stages of
susceptibility to radicalization at an individual level and at the level of a nuclear family
in the stages of personality development. Moreover, it presents the reasons for the
emergence of family terrorism and the inculcated belief that martyrdom is of high moral
value. It presents martyrdom as a problem that must find its solution before many children
become victims of a certain type of terrorism, be it on a religiously motivated basis.

Key words: terrorism, family terrorism, radicalization, conscious choice,
religiously motivated terrorism, personality crisis, stages of personality development,
nuclear family, martyrdom

INTRODUCTION
The contemporary analyses of the various aspects of modern terrorism
are intertwined with the science of Psychology. Psychology describes and
attempts to explain the psyche, i.e. the unconscious, consciousness, mental
phenomena, processes, properties, states, as well as the social behaviour of
a given person. The subject of Psychology is mental life, mental phenomena,
and the behaviour of the individual. But not everything in the mental life at
a given stage of an individual’s development may be available for
observation and study. Psychology can also analyse aspects of the
behavioural repertoire, attitudes, stereotypes, prejudices, emotions,
perceptions, thinking, memory, consciousness, will, and spheres of
emotional or moral development among many others.
The theory of personality in Psychology is becoming more and more
relevant and important, especially in the context of the growing popularity
of the ‘lone wolf’ phenomenon. Terrorism and its manifestations cannot be
properly understood without clarification of the basic characteristics of
individuals who are prone to terrorist activity. A terrorist is often described
as a person who has no personal interests, feelings, or even a name, but is
devoted to one passion – the destruction of everything that hampers the
achievement of the idea, i.e. the ultimate goal. Terror is a way of life that
subjugates a person to itself; it cannot be just a hobby or a pastime because
the amateur terrorist will be doomed to failure.

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