Had a seminar yesterday on suicide terrorism. It was mainly on the question of whether a personality profiling is possible in case of a suicide terrorist. In simple words is it that with the appropriate social, political, economical and personal events and pressures any individual can become a suicide terrorist? Or are there some personality characteristics which predispose a person to transform into one?
There is no good study evidence for either. Obviously a suicide bomber wont go to a psychiatrist to take part in a study before bombing. If he goes to a psychiatrist because he is confused then he is not a suicide bomber and is not worthy of being a study subject.
Still if someone speculates on the subject it is likely that a suicide bomber will be having some personality predispositions. The reason is that there are people with the same ideological fervour with approval for the actions and purpose of a suicide bomber but who is still not a suicide bomber. There will be hundred people who will firmly believe that suicide bombing is the best and the only weapon against a formidable enemy against whom collective force is impossible.
But how many of them would become a suicide bomber? One or two may be. It shows that just believing strongly in suicide bombing is not enough to become a suicide bomber. All of them don’t have tragic personal experiences also. Some of them are professionals having a seemingly normal family life. So it has to be some personality traits.
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