Social Learning Theory Of Terrorism

INTRODUCTION To explain terrorism through the explanation of social learning theory, one must understand why and how an individual can be or engaged in any kind of terrorist act. The act of terrorism may be in form of a group attack or an individual attack where there is just one person involves rather than a group. However, the act of one person may be just a self-instructed act, or an act following another terrorist act. The definition of terrorism is very hard to find as there is no absolute definition. The definition may be varied as it interpreted by the society or the environment. Horgan (2005) put it in general that terrorism is an act that use or threat to use a violent to achieve a goal or goals within political perspective. According …show more content…
In general, social learning theory involves the process of learning by a person from social perspective. Bandura’s social learning theory stated that behaviour is learned from environment through the process of observational learning. Albert Bandura outlined the four-steps modelling process (Cherry, 2015). The first step is observation/attention. A person will observe the behaviour of other people, then, it will develop to the second step, which is retention. The actions then will be remembered and stored in the memory. If necessary, the act might be observed again to get the full information on the behaviour. Third is the reproduction step, when the act will be demonstrated, could be repeatedly to improve the act. Finally, the step involves motivation. It is usually where there are carrot and stick. A proper act will be rewarded and will be punished if the act was not demonstrated …show more content…
He stressed that any suggestion of people engaged with terrorism is a result from lack of income or any situation associated with poverty etc, is not a valid reason, as the people at the top of the terrorist organization usually are people with high intellect. Deprivation may be the best explanation of the terrorism act. When a person is being socially deprived, he will try to be heard using any means possible. As explained in the Moghaddam’s staircase to terrorism (Moghaddam, 2005), people at the very bottom of the staircase would be anyone with frustration and anger, and feeling the experience of injustice. They are more likely to become aggressive if there is no way that their voice will be heard. Some of the people at the bottom, who think that there is no way that their anger can be vented, will climb a step higher. The higher they climbed, the more probability for them to engage in terrorist behaviour.