Effective Components in the Occurrence of Ideological Terrorist Crimes and Methods of Dealing with it with Attention to Psychological Mechanisms

Keshavarzsarkar, Ali; Mosadegh Kahnamoui, Mohammad; Rezaeian Koochi, Mohammad Reza

doi:10.22034/jccj.2025.453574.1548

Effective Components in the Occurrence of Ideological Terrorist Crimes and Methods of Dealing with it with Attention to Psychological Mechanisms

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

ali keshavarzsarkar ¹

Mohammad mosadegh kahnamoui ²

Mohammad Reza Rezaeian Koochi ³

¹ PhD in Criminal Law and Criminology, University of Justice, Tehran, Iran.

² Department of Criminal Law and Criminology, SR.C., Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran. (Corresponding Author)

³ Assistant Professor, Department of Criminal Law and Criminology, University of Religions and Denominations, Qom, Iran

10.22034/jccj.2025.453574.1548

Abstract

Terrorism today differs from the past in terms of goals and motivations. Committing terrorism with ideological motivations or backgrounds is one of the ways this crime occurs. This type of terrorism has legal dimensions concerning the accountability of the perpetrators and their trial and punishment, as well as extralegal dimensions such as its psychological analysis. Key issues for criminologists and psychologists to consider include examining the impact of various psychological structures (neurosis, psychosis, and psychopathy) on the commission of this crime and whether having a specific psychological structure can be the primary driver of its commission. The aim of this study is to answer the question of what factors are influential in the occurrence of ideological terrorist crimes and what methods can be employed to combat them through the lens of psychological mechanisms, as well as to elucidate the relationship between mental health issues and criminal behavior, which recent findings have highlighted in relation to these crimes and their perpetrators. The research method is descriptive-analytical, in which the psychological analysis of this crime, its concept and characteristics, the definition of different psychological structures from a psychological perspective, the key variables influencing its commission, and the responses to ideological terrorism in the light of psychological analysis are studied. Through this research, ideology plays the role of a catalyst in the commission of this crime but is never the ultimate cause, as the necessary psychological readiness (mental health issues) must be present to facilitate its commission. Therefore, patterns of coping with it can be defined and implemented based on psychological mechanisms.

Keywords

Ideological Terrorist

Psychological Analysis

Components

Psychological Structures

Responses.