Length: 6 pages
Annotation
This comparison of left-wing and right-wing terrorist group activities and personalities in the United States concludes that predictive generalizations can be made regarding the overall structure and functioning of domestic terrorist organizations.
Abstract
Radical left-wing groups generally consist of persons who are single, separated, or divorced.
Many are involved in a subconscious conflict with their parents, and terrorist group membership provides them with an expression for this rebellion.
On the other hand, radical right-wing groups frequently include entire families and are somewhat like cults.
Leftist groups engage in protracted sessions of self-criticism, while rightist groups spend their time reinforcing their self-image as genuine and dedicated.
The three personality types seen with some degree of regularity in both left and right domestic terrorist groups are the leader, the activist-operator, and the idealist.
Members of left-wing groups tend to be better educated than members of right-wing groups.
Those on the right tend to be more compulsive, while those on the left are more meticulous planners.
Right-wing groups tend to be more violent, although left-wing groups more frequently target law enforcement as the willing tool of the oppressive regime.
Both left and right groups try to achieve some level of solidarity with similarly oriented political organizations.
Leftist groups are concentrated in the eastern part of the United States and urban areas, while rightist groups are more commonly found in rural areas.
Left-wing groups tend to be atheistic or agnostic, and right-wing terrorists are usually radical fundamentalists who seek to justify their actions with quotes from the scriptures.
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