ABSTRACT
Religious and political terrorists exhibit the same or very similar dynamics, but for different causes. In explaining others’ actions, professionals frequently commit the fundamental attribution error. Fundamentalist terrorists perceive the world differently from how society and members of the government do. Their reactions and approaches to government policies are guided by their ideologies. The ethnogeographic players work as part of a group. The group in itself enhances the goals to destroy “the common enemy.” Fundamentalist terrorists believe that they are more likely to succeed, knowing that they will die because of the act of terror. The idea of self-sacrifice is greatly rewarding, which empowers the fundamentalist terrorist to take more risks and be more destructive. Schbley further differentiates the religious from the political terrorist by asserting that—due to both the aforementioned characteristics and their indoctrination—a religious terrorist may not be aware, understand, or ascribe maliciousness to their own actions.
