Distorted mentality of extremism and terrorism in the context of psychological research-studies

Abstract

A paper reveals and analyses certain psychological issues and research data concerning religious extremism and terrorist activity in the context of modern social­psychological and social­political reality in the Republic of Kazakhstan. It emphasizes the need for preventive research and measures to counter terrorism not only in the legal but also in the psychological aspect. The psychopathological and borderline approaches to the study of a destructive personality, the narcissistic complex and anomie, the influence of accentuated personality traits on the «closeness» of consciousness and the narrowing of the world perception are considered. Social and psychological factors that lead to the destructive transformation of ordinary consciousness, distortion of mentality and behavioral consequences are revealed. In this regard, an extremist type of consciousness is defined as a psychological mechanism that sets the «ideological» rationale for religious fanaticism and terror. There are revealed psychological preconditions of destructive ideology forming and development and its further spreading in marginal surroundings. Prospects for expert­psychological research in the field of antiterrorist activities are considered, allowing to determine the «share» and the influence of various factors on the level of religious and political extremism, the level of probable danger of terrorism, the level of effectiveness of countermeasures against the spread of radical ideology.

Key words: religious extremism, terrorism, destructive behavior, «closedness» of consciousness.