Samenvatting

Ad Vogelaar reviews the psychological literature on terrorism. He demonstrates that psychology sheds light on three aspects of terrorism: recruitment, impact, and counterterrorism. On the basis of his literature review, Vogelaar concludes that terrorists act rationally but that emotional motives determine whether they become terrorists. With regard to the impact of terrorism, Vogelaar finds that victims of terrorist attacks run a considerable risk of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Finally, he cautions against indiscriminate or disproportionate forms of counterterrorism, especially when the authorities react in anger and frustration