On the Origins of Terrorism.

Starting with Heinz Kohut's insights about narcissistic injury, narcissistic rage, and the desire for revenge this paper examines terrorism, both on the part of state and non-state entities, through the lens of Kohut's theory. The role played by humiliation in the creation of narcissistic injury is discussed emphasizing how important this is to understanding how terrorism arises and from where it gets its strength, fury, and desperation. There is a description of how this process can feed vicious cycles of violence and war as one group's humiliation at the hands of another group leads to acts of vengeance directed at those who are seen as responsible for their group's humiliation. There is a brief historical survey of the ways in which Muslims have been humiliated at the hands of Western powers and the suggestion that this is the main factor which has and is driving "Jihadi" terrorism directed against the United States and its allies. The response of the United States to the September 11 terrorist attacks is explored as an example of the same process of narcissistic injury generating feelings of humiliation leading in turn to acts of violent retaliation. The paper concludes with suggestions for disrupting this cycle of humiliation and revenge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]