Abstract

Do the ideological and behavioral phenomena and dynamics of cults and terrorist organizations resemble each other? The simple answer is, "Very much so." Modern terrorist organizations like Al Queda, Boko Haram and ISIS are little more than cults dedicated to the cynically manipulated expression of what is likely identical to the abuse- and abandonment-conferred rage seen in street gangs and many of the more aggressively authoritarian and totalitarian mind control cults. But instead of the bulk of the faithful going "learned helpless," they go cynically violent. I will attempt to advance this thesis by combining material from the paper cited below with that from other published literature on cult dynamics, group dynamics, psychodynamics and personality traits, per se.

The remainder of the article -- with extensive citations and references -- may be viewed at [pairadocks.blogspot.com]