The (Rapidly) Changing Face of Terrorism and Implications for Psychology Research Psychology and Neuroscience Friday Seminar: Professor John Horgan (Georgia State)

Terrorism is the use or threat of use of violence by non-state actors against non-combatants in the furtherance of some social, political, religious or other ideological goal. Whereas terrorist acts have traditionally been understood through simple ideological distinctions, for example, right-wing, left-wing, etc, contemporary terrorist acts defy easy categorisation. Multiple cases in recent years illustrate how people involved in terrorism may hop from one ideological worldview to another, sometimes competing, worldview, whereas others have been observed to ‘mix' ideologies in a way that, from an observer's perspective, defy logic, or at least call into question the nature and relevance of ideology in a phenomenon where ideology is assumed to be a defining feature. This presentation highlights these recent rapid, unfolding changes, and identifies both challenges and opportunities for continued psychological research on terrorism.

John Horgan is a Distinguished University Professor at Georgia State University's Department of Psychology where he also directs the Violent Extremism Research Group (VERG). Professor Horgan is one of the world's leading experts on terrorist psychology. His work is widely published, with books including The Psychology of Terrorism, now in its second edition and published in over a dozen languages worldwide, Divided We Stand: The Strategy and Psychology of Ireland's Dissident Terrorists, Walking Away from Terrorism, Leaving Terrorism Behind and Terrorism Studies: A Reader.