Seven Motives of Terrorism - Essay Example

Such responses are usually harsh and affect the public (Crenshaw, 2011). Fifth, the group may also be in pursuit of boosting itself. For ensuing struggle, the group may stage attacks to motivate itself. Sixth, they may be attempting to counter a government’s military power. This exposes the weaknesses of the government. Lastly, they may be attempting to take advantage of a unique historical opportunity. Such opportunities determine the existence of the group in the future.

According to O’Ballance, there are six characteristics of a successful terrorist. Firstly, they are dedicated to a belief of cause and follow the uncompromising demands of terrorism unconditionally. Secondly, they are always willing to sacrifice themselves since terrorism is dangerous and the individual can be killed at any instance (O’Ballance, 1979). Thirdly, they can repress emotions because they are usually required to commit heinous crimes such as killing innocent people. Fourthly, they have high intelligence because planning attacks require intelligence and cannot be conducted by anyone. Fifthly, education is critical because their missions demand unsuspicious traveling to foreign countries. Lastly, they have access to required resources that include money to use in traveling.

Groupthink is a form of collective thinking that provides the terrorists with an opportunity to acquire the mindset of the organization. The main symptoms involved include invulnerability feeling, the certainty of an organization’s morality, intolerance concerning internal dissent, and viewing the enemy as simply evil (Holmes & McConville, 2014).