Terrorism between “syndrome” and “tool

ABSTRACT—Two psychological views of terrorism are de-scribed, approaching it as a ‘‘syndrome’ ’ and as a ‘‘tool’’ respectively. Research thus far found little support for the syndrome view. The heterogeneity of terrorism’s users is consistent with the tool view, affording an analysis of ter-rorism in terms of goal–means psychology. KEYWORDS—terrorism; syndrome; tool Social scientists ’ interest in terrorism has been growing steadily, in response to the proliferation of terrorism in the world at large. Psychological research is highly relevant to this endeavor. Ter-rorists ’ acts of self-immolation and indiscriminate killings of innocent civilians appear horrific and bizarre. They simply cry out for a psychological explanation. It is possible to discern two divergent psychological ap-proaches that have been taken to terrorism over the years