The Question of Content in the Study of Terrorism and the Timely Link to Social Influence

This paper makes a case for an analysis of representations of terrorism informed by content, based on the contention that content is absolutely indispensable in a social psychological account of terrorism. Two exploratory studies are presented: Study 1 aimed to map the representational field of terrorism & identify the organizing prin-ciples of Greek adolescents' representations of terrorism. Study 2 aimed to explore how these organizing principles are normatively or semantically anchored. The analysis or the semantic criteria that were employed pointed to three normative dimensions, relevant to classic concerns in the field of social influence. It is further argued that raising the issue of content in the study of terrorism may lead to a timely advancement of our understanding of the generative mechanisms of social influence. Tables, Figures, Appendixes, References. Adapted from the source document.