The Head of the Department of Psychological Research of Kyiv Scientific Research Institute of Forensic Expertise, at the request of journalists of the popular Ukrainian TV channel, helped to analyze the peculiarities of the psychology of terrorists.
According to the forensic expert, criminal psychology is an official science; it is part of an extensive field of psychological knowledge. This is the psychology of the individual in the context of criminal relations with others, the psychology of the criminal, the victim and the circumstances conducive to criminal activity.
“There is a concept of “crime situation”, which is studied by criminal psychology. We have the example in the real life, because we live in a radically unfavorable crime situation. The organized crimes have spread “their wings” now. This is the category of persons who have put crimes at the level of the profession and the current situation only contributes to this. Criminals practically are not being caught now. If 5-10 years ago a person who came up with the idea of committing a crime, has been restrained by the law enforcement institution and possible punishment, now this barrier has disappeared. If a crazy thought occurred in the head of a person, for example, to take the phone from a passer-by, then there is no deterrent factor. This is the criminal situation, the situation in society, which in itself contributes to the commission of crimes, – explains Yurii Irkhin, the expert of KFI. – Now we have, put it simply, there is a criminal situation. There is no point in talking about the levels and indicators of its development, because it is pronounced and criminal as well. The mood, thoughts, stereotypes of social thinking are so far built in our country in such a way that somewhere it is advantageous, where it is safe, where it is possible to engage in criminal activities with impunity.”
In addition, the expert from KFI explained to journalists that there is no difference between an offender and a terrorist. The word “crime” means crossing of the permitted limits, such an irreversible action is considered a crime and the person must be held accountable for it.
Yurii Irkhin in a conversation with media workers also noted that all crimes can be conditionally divided into several categories; they are criminal moral, mental, universal, etc. For example, misanthropy is a humane crime, and terrorism is clearly criminal and this foresees practically all the criminal codes of various countries of the world.
“At the heart of terrorism is hatred for man. And by its nature “homo sapiens” should not hate it, otherwise the human race, like a biological species, will disappear. Hence the concept of “society; a person can become a man only among his own kind, educating, cultivating, showing respect, and terrorism contradicts this”, said Yurii Irkhin, the Head of the Department of psychological research of KFI.
The expert-psychologist also stressed that there is no psychological difference between the criminal and the terrorist, since the terrorist is a criminal. Different can be the specificity of the implementation of criminal acts: “What is the difference between terrorism and banditry? It is the practical absence of mercantile, materially beneficial grounds. If there is a materially advantageous platform, (for example, to shoot dozens of people or kill a family in the house for the purpose of robbery, in order to seize property, it is banditry.) When the same actions are made for money, and for achieving some of ambitions, it is terrorism. The context of terrorism is divided into two main directions with a very diffuse boundary: the manic basis for which a person is ready to destroy all and pragmatic terrorism in order to achieve a certain goal, for getting something. “
The Head of the Department of psychological research of Kyiv Scientific Research Institute of Forensic Expertise told the interlocutors about the debut age when the person is deemed to be inclined towards terrorism, the emotions and motives that people are guided before the terrorist act, as well as the differences between men terrorists and women terrorists. About these and other features of the psychology of terrorists, see the full video of the interview.
