Psychological dimensions of terrorism – profiling impossible but patterns discernible
In the following we will explore what we might mean by psychological profiling of terrorists and explore the methodological and empirical constraints around the concept. Notwithstanding the methodological limitations it does not follow that meaningful or useful accounts cannot be developed. It may be worthwhile assessing potential psychological patterns for terrorist engagement rather than a psychological terrorist profile. The paper therefore suggests alternative ways of conceptualising terrorism as a complex process focussing on identifiable patterns of psychological qualities where recognition of patterns rather than states may have heuristic value.