Synopsis: As an introduction to the present volume the wide -ranging nature of terrorist activity, over time and place, is briefl y reviewed. Terrorism is multifaceted and, as a consequence, no one explanation, theory or discipline will ever fully account for all terrorist activities. However, the psychological and social psychological processes that lead any given person to commit a terrorist act tend to have been under -represented in the terrorist literature. This is doubtless in part due to the diffi culty of conducting studies that engage directly with those individuals who carry out terrorist acts. Consideration of the actions of the individuals involved makes possible the understanding of terrorism as a process that people move through. At every stage questions emerge about how and why given individuals get drawn into, or leave, terrorist groups. But because some form of terrorist activity will always be with us understanding the many faces of terrorism and the psychological processes underlying it, should help to reduce its prevalence and mitigate its impact.
The Wide -r anging Nature of Terrorism
Acts of violence with political objective have always been with us. From the fi ght against Roman domination of Judea by Zealots in the 1st century, through the assassins in the 13th century who were a breakaway faction of Shia Islam, to
The Faces of Terrorism: Multidisciplinary Perspectives Edited by David Canter