Bruce Allen Scharlau PhD thesis - Research@StAndrews:FullText

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cUiU/Vl. attention, eXll_ibi tionist need, lack of empathy
consideration of others from APD along vacillatiIlg
overidealisation, devaluation, fuld ffultasies of Ulll~T~ted success. 2:
These are thought to e2>.-plabl terrorists' faith in b~eir ob~erwise
depressing struggles against pvwerful enemies, wno Cful.
hopefully be
overcuTte b~llough tecrul.o1ogical irillovations, deab~-defying activity, fuld
ill. causes wib~ world-wide cuTtpanions who identify with arid w~ll avenge
each other. 2 a
Like APD, narcissistic characteristics, like w~e
inability to take
criticism, the lack of success, ful.d the need for constfult attention, rray
be difficult to rrabltain ~l.
sacrifice, loyalty arid perserverance. 2S
Repression lS b~e
a terrorist group. Instead, terrorists need
process of selective forgetting or denYblg of
conflict fuld stress related e2>.-periences or b~oughts,3Q
and could be
exh.ibi ted f for example, by those wilO ignore their 'leftist-fascist'
tendencies In D~eir stated a~Tt of fightill.g fascism wnen they seek to
prvvoke their enemies into DecuTting fascists.
Projection Cful be seen to work at D~e
level of ill.dividuals and
~l.OupS as part of D~eir belief systerr~, as discussed later, fuld is D~e
attribution of personal characteristics or motives onto others, or see
D~em as D~e cause of one's uwil pcrr l...icular characteristic. Tliis allows
one to hold a constful.t world view that enables justification of one's
actions. In its fullest form it lS said to be a narcissistic struggle by
the terrorists to heal b~emsel ves b'rrough attacks on society. Tliese
teLl.orists idealise D~eT~elves as eT~yill.g all D~at
all that lS evil onto society as b~e
is good fuld project
source of their failures.3~
Alternatively, this cuuld be a displacement of chilili~ood
quilt and
arlger directed towards parents ful.d ersatz-parents in the form of
authority, usually represented by a gOVeLTJiTtent.
Gailnot attack their parents or other groups close to b~eTt.
attack either the gruups w~e
Tlie person feels w~ey
Instead b~ey
parents have taught the children are trieir
enemies, or agablst persons in s~Ttilar authority positions. Tne a~Tt lS
to produce e2>.~eriences in ow~ers which D~ey theTtselves felt earlier ill
life. 32
27 Corrado (1981), 298.
za Fried in Alexander, Kat-w"Clll (eds.) (1980),
29 Corrado (1981), 300.
D.S. Holmes, "Defense Hechfulisms",
Cor.lSise Encyclopedia of PsychiatL-y {Ne-w
1987), 295-8, 295-6.
32 ibid., 2.-:;i i; Jerrold H Post l
Terrorist Behavior", T6l..-:rorism 7 ( 3 )
32 Kent, Nicholls, 4-5i Fried
221.
in; Raymond J. Corsini
York: Jorill Wiley and
(ed. ),
Sons,
"Notes on a Psychody l1amic T'neory of
1984, 241-256, 248-9.
in Alexfulder, Katwful ( eds. )