Suicide Bombers: Who Are They?

Paper Summary:

The paper examines various factors including the etiology of an average suicide, the history of suicide attacks, how suicide bombings are committed and the profile of a suicide bomber. The paper also discusses cultural support for suicide bombings, the correlation between finances and suicide bombings and the relationship between political freedom and suicide bombings. The paper shows how there is no single profile for a suicide bomber. The paper relates that it looks like the most significant factor for creating a suicide bomber is that he or she come from a culture that supports martyrdom. The paper also reveals that the most important elements in creating a suicide bomber appear to be feelings of oppression combined with a lack of political freedom.

From the Paper:

"Since 9-11, there have been several, competing theories, in which people have attempted to explain the psychology of the suicide bomber. Some people maintain that suicide bombers do not differ significantly from other people who commit suicide, and are marked by behaviors indicative of depression. However, there is little evidence to support such claims. In fact, more recent studies tend to suggest that suicide bombers do not suffer from an underlying affective disorder like depression, which would lead them to engage in suicidal behavior. Furthermore, there is no evidence that suicide bombers, at least at the time of recruitment, suffer from any type of psychopathology that would distinguish them from the general population."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Abadie, Alberto. "Poverty, Political Freedom, and the Roots of Terrorism." John F. Kennedy School of Government. 2004. Harvard University. 6 Feb. 2006<http://ksghome.harvard.edu/~aabadie/povterr.pdf>.
• Atran, Scott. Interview with Josie Glasiusz. "Discover Dialogue: Anthropologist Scott Atran." Discover.com. 2005. Discover Media, LLC. 6 Feb. 2006 <http://www.discover.com/issues/oct-03/departments/featdialogue>.
• Magee, Mike. "Depression and Suicide. Health Politics. 2004. Healthpolitics.com. 6 Feb. 2006 <http://www.healthpolitics.com/media/prog_39/slides_prog_39.pdf>.
• Nightline. "Experts: Suicide Bombers Not Crazy." Nightline. 2005. ABC News. 6 Feb. 2006 <http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/LondonBlasts/story?id=1004809&page=1>.
• Rainsberger, Marisa. "On the Edge: Professor Identifies how Suicide Bombers Work on

More papers on Suicide Bombers: Who Are They?:

• Analytical Essay # 88553 : "Jack Bishop's "Who are the Pirates"
• Film Review # 119528 : "Film: Hany Abu-Assad's "Paradise Now"
• Essay # 57962 : "Arabs in the Media"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: