RT Article
T1 Divergent paths to martyrdom and significance among suicide attackers
JF Terrorism and political violence
VO 29
IS 5
SP 852
OP 874
A1 Webber, David
A2 Klein, Kristen
A2 Kruglanski, Arie W.
A2 Brizi, Ambra
A2 Merari, Ariel
LA English
YR 2017
UL https://krimdok.uni-tuebingen.de/Record/1870765621
AB This research used open source information to investigate the motivational backgrounds of 219 suicide attackers from various regions of the world. We inquired as to whether the attackers exhibited evidence for significance quest as a motive for their actions, and whether the eradication of significance loss and/or the aspiration for significance gain systematically differed according to attackers’ demographics. It was found that the specific nature of the significance quest motive varied in accordance with attackers’ gender, age, and education. Whereas Arab-Palestinians, males, younger attackers, and more educated attackers seem to have been motivated primarily by the possibility of significance gain, women, older attackers, those with little education, and those hailing from other regions seem to have been motivated primarily by the eradication of significance loss. Analyses also suggested that the stronger an attacker’s significance quest motive, the greater the effectiveness of their attack, as measured by the number of casualties. Methodological limitations of the present study were discussed, and the possible directions for further research were indicated.
NO Gesehen am 21.11.2023
NO Published online: 18 Sep 2015
K1 Martyrdom
K1 Motivation
K1 Radicalization
K1 Suicide
DO 10.1080/09546553.2015.1075979