Mind Hacks Blog posts here with links to some quite controversial research into the psychology of terrorism. Here's an excerpt:
Despite the insanity of the acts, one of the most common myths is that terrorists are mentally unbalanced in some way. In an article written shortly after 9/11[, psychologist Andrew Silke] noted that even for suicide bombers, evidence for psychopathology or personality disorders is scant.
Work on the impact of terrorist attacks has been most recently focused on the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks. Silke notes in a more recent article . . . , that although, in general, being closer to the Twin Towers was related to higher levels of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, for other people, stress was related to exposure to television reporting.
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