The Psychology of Political Extremism: What Sigmund Freud would have thought about Islamic State

Islamic State is primarily seen through a political lens; the psychological motivation of such groups is poorly understood. But we need to ask the question; do the inner disquiets of Islam make more sense to the psychologists than to the imams?

Recent terrorist attacks have left the country genuinely at sea as to how to respond to these distressing events. There are the predictable interpretations with politicians on the right talking about counterrorism, harsher punishments and tightening up on the internet, whilst on the politcal left there is talk about blaming foreign wars. All this analysis is relevant, but insufficient.

Politicians are not talking about why so many young people in the UK are sufficiently angry and alienated that they are prepared to be seduced by the toxic and poisonous ideology of Islamic State.

This book examines both the politics and the psychology and what motivates people to behave in ways that are so disturbing. Freud is the hook as the founding father of the talking cure. A radical and subversive theorist in his time, he claimed that mankind was influenced more by the inner workings of the mind and internal conflicts than by rational thought.