Islamist Suicide Terrorism and Erich Fromm’s Social Psychology of Modern Times

Abstract: Mainstream social science has struggled to explain the appeal of suicide terrorism to so many Muslim youths, relying as it does on standard socio-economic indicators and research meant to identify suicidal tendencies. The existential emphasis is missing. This commentary is inspired by the work of clinical psychologist Erich Fromm (1900-1980) and his investigation of the social psychology of modernity, as well as how this intermingles with existential fears related to mortality (death-related fears) and the passage of time (the end of the world or apocalypse). Modernity, explained Fromm, makes one feel small, insignificant and isolated in the larger scheme of things. This demands a violent response, often involving self-sacrifice, to reassert the balance, which allows Islamists to take advantage of death-related anxieties and exaggerate the sense of confrontation with the world through apocalyptic prophecies. Current psychological research on death and studies of terrorism and relig.... https://jspp.psychopen.eu/index.php/jspp/article/view/4991

Object Details

• Location: Deutsche Nationalbibliothek Frankfurt am Main
• Extent: Online-Ressource
• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Islamist Suicide Terrorism and Erich Fromm’s Social Psychology of Modern Times ; volume:5 ; number:1 ; day:15 ; month:05 ; year:2017 ; Journal of social and political psychology ; 5, Heft 1 (15.05.2017)

Contributors, Places and Time

• Creator: Aysha, Emad El-Din

Further information

• DOI: 10.5964/jspp.v5i1.284
• URN: urn:nbn:de:101:1-2021032004365394711029
• Rights: Open Access; Der Zugriff auf das Objekt ist unbeschränkt möglich.
• Last update: 2025-08-15T07:34:32+0200