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Literature review |
In the Wake of 9/11: The Psychology of Terror
By
Tom Pyszczynski,
Sheldon Solomon and
Jeff Greenberg (Washington DC: APA Press, 2003)
Reviewed by Dan Liechty
For a more detailed review, click here and select "Title." —Ed.
Written with a rare combination of wise hesitation and committed passion, this book presents a well-argued take on current political terrorism, as well as public reaction to that terrorism, from the perspective of Terror Management Theory (TMT). The authors lay out the psychology of terror, focusing both on the terrorist mentality itself and on the public reaction to the events of 9/11, in the course of which TMT genuinely springs to life with cogent illustrations of each point from the very newspaper headlines we have all been recently reading ourselves. The feeling is that of reading lived history in which the reader is also an intimate actor as well as an interpretive observer. This is easily one of the most riveting interpretive accounts in the growing mass of 9/11 literature.
Excerpt
In late October of 2001, we were asked by the publisher at the American Psychological Association to write a book using terror management theory and research to shed light on the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon like many Americans, we were still reeling from the aftershock of the events [and] wondered whether, given the continually growing mountains of information and analysis that had already been presented about these events, we had anything unique, important, or useful to add. But we were struck by the amazing parallels between the way thousands of research participants in our laboratory and field studies have responded to reminders of their own mortality and the way many Americans seemed to be reacting to the events of 9/11. And for years, we have believed that our analysis provides useful insights into the genesis of the prejudice, hatred, and hostility that lies at the root of the major wars and minor skirmishes that have marked our species‚ history on this planet. Ultimately, we hoped that we could add something to the discussion of the events of 9/11, and global terrorism in general, that would be useful to others struggling to cope with these tragic events and seeking solutions to the problems that we are now facing.
