Applying Psychology

Orla Lynch, PhD, is the Head of Criminology at University College Cork, Ireland, and former Director of Teaching and a Lecturer in Terrorism Studies at CSTPV at the University of St Andrews. She is a fellow with Hedayah and a Board member of RAN, Europe, as well as an academic advisor to the Resolve Network.Carmel Joyce, PhD is a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow in the Department of Sociology, University College Cork, Ireland. She is currently involved in an IRC-funded project that looks at how the Irish diaspora who supported NORAID manage their national identity post 9/11 and Boston Bombing.

• List of Figures ixAbout the Authors xiAcknowledgments xiii1 Introduction 11.1 Psychology and Terrorism Research – The State of the Art 11.2 Moving Forward 31.3 Defining Terrorism 61.4 Defining Terrorism or “the Terrorist” in Psychological Terms 71.5 Conclusion 91.6 Chapter Descriptions 102 Applying a Research Framework 112.1 Applying Psychology 112.2 The Process of Defining the Problem 132.3 Applying Psychology to the Problem 152.4 Having Defined the Problem, Can We Solve It? 162.5 Outcome/ Results/Application 172.6 Worked Example: Paramilitaries in the Northern Ireland Post-peace Process 192.7 Conclusion 213 Psychological Processes in Terrorism Research 233.1 Psychological Processes in Terrorism Research: Individual Versus Group Processes 233.2 Psychological Theories and Terrorism: Individual Versus Group Processes 243.3 Individual Processes: “Embodying” Terrorism 253.4 Biological Theories 263.5 Terrorism and Psychopathology 273.6 Psychological Trauma, Radicalization, and Terrorism 293.7 Root Causes 303.8 Social Cognition 323.9 Terrorism and “Universal Needs” 323.10 Terror Management Theory and Symbolic Immortality Needs 343.11 The Effect of Terrorism on “Everyday” People 353.12 It’s Not “Them,” It’s “Us” 363.13 Social Identity Theory 373.14 Disengagement as an Individual and/or Collective Phenomenon 383.15 Discussion 404 Methodological Considerations 434.1 Doing Terrorism Research: Pitfalls, Priorities, and Potential 434.2 Disclaimers 464.3 Methodological Concerns in Field Research 464.4 The Identity of the Researcher 474.5 Issues of Language Use 504.6 Ethical Responsibilities of Researchers in Divided Societies 534.7 Code of Ethics and Limits of Confidentiality 554.8 Methodological Approaches: Debates and Disputes 574.9 Retrospective Identity Construction 594.10 Method to Data Collection—How Can this Be Constructed within the Framework of Buunk and Van Vugt (2013)? 624.11 The Use of Visual Tools 634.12 Conclusion 645 From Paramilitary to Peacemaker: Ex‐Prisoners in Northern Ireland 675.1 Exploring the Use of Identity Management Strategies by Republican and Loyalist Ex‐Prisoners as They Retroactively Discuss Their Transition from Paramilitary to Peacemaker 675.2 The Psychology of Disengagement 695.3 Retrospective Identity Construction 705.4 Method 725.5 Interview Context and Procedure 725.6 Analytic Process 725.7 Preliminary Analysis 735.8 Identity Continuity and Context Variability 745.9 Transition and Identity Reinvention 775.10 The Negotiation of Legitimacy 805.11 Discussion 846 Making Meaning Out of the Conflict in Northern Ireland 896.1 Making Meaning Out of the Conflict in Northern Ireland: The Meaning Maintenance Model as a Framework for Understanding Engagement in Political Violence and Peace Building in Northern Ireland 896.2 Moving Forward 916.3 Meaning‐ Making in Postconflict Northern Ireland 926.4 Former Political Prisoners and Meaning‐Making 936.5 The MMM and Former Perpetrators in Northern Ireland 946.6 Method 966.6.1 The Negotiation of Terminology 966.6.2 Participants and Procedure 966.6.3 Analytic Process 966.7 Analysis 986.7.1 Interviewer‐Included Threats to Meaning 986.8 Using “Belongingness” to Challenge “Certainty” 1036.9 Conclusion and Evaluation 1067 Assumptions Around Identity: The Case of British Muslim Youths 1117.1 Assumptions Around Identity: Radicalization and the Case of British Muslim Youths 1117.2 Identity, Radicalization, and Psychological Research 1147.3 Methodology 1167.4 Results/ Discussion 1167.4.1 Muslim Youths and Islamic Linked Terrorism in the UK 1167.5 Intergenerational Change, Cultural Transmission, and Intergenerational Conflict 1197.6 Discussion 1237.7 Conclusion 1258 Discussion 1278.1 An Introduction 1278.2 Applying Methodological Rigor in Psychology to Terrorism Research 1288.3 Qualitative Research and Terrorism 1318.4 Psychology and Terrorism: Bidirectional Relationships 1328.5 Psychology and Terrorism: Opening up the Discussion and Future Directions 1348.6 Conclusion 134Bibliography 135Index 153