The psychodynamics of terrorism.

The authors propose a dynamic and social explanation for the 'malignant aggression' of the terrorist. No specific terrorist character is to be looked for. Rather, terrorism can occur whenever political conditions provide social legitimation for the acting out of deeply repressed hatred. The origins of this hatred lie in parental abuse, leading to murderous rage in the child, which must be deflected onto safer targets than the terrifying parent, such as the parent's enemies, or the authorities of one's country. Political terrorism therefore involves the exploitation of mental illness, connived at in turn by the international public through the media.