ORCID Profile
0000-0002-9606-9197
Current Organisation
University College London
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Forensic psychology | Terrorism | Criminology | Causes and prevention of crime |
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 06-06-2018
DOI: 10.1080/00223891.2018.1475392
Abstract: This article aims to move away from intuitive appeals that link mental disorder with violence such as terrorism, mass murder, and other targeted violence. The article synthesizes the existing evidence base regarding the relationship between mental disorders and personality traits and (a) attitudinal affinities with violent causes, and (b) a number of violent behaviors (including mass murder and terrorism). The evidence base is mixed and the research focus changed across time: from simple and unempirical assertions of causation to an almost complete rejection of their presence to a finer grained and disaggregated understanding. Empirical research examining mental disorder in crime and violence highlights that the commission of such events is a complex synthesis of psychopathology, personal circumstance, and environment. The article concludes with several suggestions regarding future research and practice.
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 12-02-2021
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 02-2017
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 27-03-2018
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 09-08-2018
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 02-2013
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 09-2016
DOI: 10.1002/BSL.2268
Abstract: Lone-actor terrorist attacks have risen to the forefront of the public's consciousness in the past few years. Some of these attacks were conducted against public officials. The rise of hard-to-detect, low-tech attacks may lead to more public officials being targeted. This paper explores whether different behavioral traits are apparent within a s le of lone-actor terrorists who plotted against high-value targets (including public officials) than within a s le of lone actors who plotted against members of the public. Utilizing a unique dataset of 111 lone-actor terrorists, we test a series of hypotheses related to attack capability and operational security. The results indicate that very little differentiates those who attack high-value targets from those who attack members of the public. We conclude with a series of illustrations to theorize why this may be the case. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Publisher: American Psychological Association (APA)
Date: 02-2015
DOI: 10.1037/LHB0000102
Abstract: We test whether significant differences in mental illness exist in a matched s le of lone- and group-based terrorists. We then test whether there are distinct behavioral differences between lone-actor terrorists with and without mental illness. We then stratify our s le across a range of diagnoses and again test whether significant differences exist. We conduct a series of bivariate, multivariate, and multinomial statistical tests using a unique dataset of 119 lone-actor terrorists and a matched s le of group-based terrorists. The odds of a lone-actor terrorist having a mental illness is 13.49 times higher than the odds of a group actor having a mental illness. Lone actors who were mentally ill were 18.07 times more likely to have a spouse or partner who was involved in a wider movement than those without a history of mental illness. Those with a mental illness were more likely to have a proximate upcoming life change, more likely to have been a recent victim of prejudice, and experienced proximate and chronic stress. The results identify behaviors and traits that security agencies can utilize to monitor and prevent lone-actor terrorism events. The correlated behaviors provide an image of how risk can crystalize within the in idual offender and that our understanding of lone-actor terrorism should be multivariate in nature.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 12-2016
Abstract: This paper outlines the sociodemographic, developmental, antecedent attack, attack preparation, and commission properties of 115 mass murderers between 1990 and 2014. The results indicate that mass murderer attacks are usually the culmination of a complex mix of personal, political, and social drivers that crystalize at the same time to drive the in idual down the path of violent action. We specifically focus upon areas related to prior criminal engagement, leakage, and attack location familiarity. Whether the violence comes to fruition is usually a combination of the availability and vulnerability of suitable targets that suit the heady mix of personal and political grievances and the in idual's capability to engage in an attack from both a psychological and technical capability standpoint. Many in idual cases share a mixture of unfortunate personal life circumstances coupled with an intensification of beliefs/grievances that later developed into the idea to engage in violence.
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 11-10-2019
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 18-06-2020
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 08-2019
DOI: 10.1007/S10940-019-09420-1
Abstract: This paper utilizes probability-based modelling to unpack the complex and multifaceted in idual, sociological, and psychological processes present within terrorist groups which may affect an in idual’s psychological wellbeing. We outline the predictors of the onset of psychological distress across three phases of terrorist involvement (engagement, disengagement, and post-disengagement). Utilizing a dataset of over 90 terrorist autobiographies, we conduct sequence analyses to pinpoint the onset of psychological problems and the experiences that preceded and proceeded this onset. The results demonstrate the complexity in the relationship between mental disorders and terrorist engagement and the heterogeneity of the lived experience of ‘being’ a terrorist. The experience of psychological distress is mediated by numerous factors and the combination of these factors. The results helped highlight the complexity of ‘being’ a terrorist multiple factors at in idual, social, and group levels impact on an in idual as they pass through life. In iduals engaged within terrorism encounter a number of risk factors, which if an in idual has lower baseline levels of in idual resilience and is not fully committed to the group identity, may impact them psychologically. The results highlighted that it is not the presence of risk factors which impact on an in idual, but how they perceive these risk factors.
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 22-03-2017
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 24-05-2018
DOI: 10.1002/WPS.20547
Publisher: American Psychological Association (APA)
Date: 2017
DOI: 10.1037/AMP0000090
Abstract: For the past 40 years, researchers studied the relationship between mental disorder and terrorist involvement. The literature developed in 4 paradigms, each of which differs in terms of their empirical evidence, the specific mental disorders studied, and their conceptualizations of terrorist involvement. These paradigms have not, however, witnessed linear and incremental improvements upon 1 another. Although 1 paradigm has generally tended to dominate a temporal period, many false assumptions and incorrect interpretations of earlier work permeate into today's discourse. This article provides a history of the study of mental disorders and the terrorist. First, we briefly outline the core fundamental principles of the first 2 paradigms, The article then outlines the core arguments produced by the seminal reviews conducted in Paradigm 3. We highlight how these findings were consistently misinterpreted in subsequent citations. We then highlight recent innovations in the study of terrorism and mental disorder since the various influential literature reviews of 1997-2005. We conclude by outlining how future research in this area may improve in the coming years by broadening our understanding of both terrorist involvement and psychopathology away from simple dichotomous thinking. (PsycINFO Database Record
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 14-01-2016
Location: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Start Date: 06-2023
End Date: 06-2027
Amount: $864,680.00
Funder: Australian Research Council
View Funded Activity