Do terrorists tend to be crazy and/or psychopathic?
No. Although terrorists often hold extremist ideologies, they do not tend to be psychotic, psychopathic, or otherwise clinically disordered.2 A hallmark of psychopathic killers is their lack of regard for others, which does not fit with terrorists killing or dying for the sake of a political, nationalistic, or religious cause. In general, terrorist groups try to recruit reliable team players and screen out unstable individuals who might compromise the group’s covert operations.3 As one terrorism researcher has put it, “the outstanding common characteristic of terrorists is their normality.
No. Although terrorists often hold extremist ideologies, they do not tend to be psychotic, psychopathic, or otherwise clinically disordered.2 A hallmark of psychopathic killers is their lack of regard for others, which does not fit with terrorists killing or dying for the sake of a political, nationalistic, or religious cause.
