Psychological terrorism targets people’s mental well-being and can take various forms, from psychological warfare to fear-focused news broadcasting. It can leave lasting psychological trauma and is a form of terrorism that can be intentional or a side effect of other actions.
Psychological terrorism is typically a form of terrorism that primarily targets people’s psychological well-being and state of mind, with the intent of negatively impacting these people. This can take a number of different forms and can be quite benign and easily ignored or more serious and negatively affect numerous other psychological problems or ailments. As a form of terrorism, it can be used directly and intentionally or it can be a side effect of other actions that do not seek to inflict terror on people, but are eventually able to.
Terrorism is generally considered to be any type of action or effort made with the express or indirect purpose of causing fear and terror in other people as a result of such actions. There are a number of different forms of terrorism, and the end result of all of these forms is usually the infliction of sufficient coercion on a target to leave lasting fear or frightening memories. Physical terrorism, for example, would constitute a type of attack that could harm a person or a population in a very clear way, but would continue to remain as a source of fear or terror for those affected or witnesses of the attack.
Psychological terrorism is a form of attack that may leave no physical mark or impact on a person or group of people, but ultimately leave psychological injuries or trauma that have a lasting impact. This term can be applied to a number of different things, from psychological warfare, to torture, and even fear-focused news broadcasting. Psychological warfare can be a form of terrorism as it can leave residual fear or panic impulses in a target. If someone is bombarded with incessant loud music for long periods of time, that music may later trigger a fear response in that person.
This process then created lasting terrorist responses in the subject, and can therefore be considered a form of psychological terrorism. Violent actions such as torture can also be considered forms of psychological terrorism. For example, research has shown that “waterboarding” often leaves an individual with an innate fear of the sensation of flowing water. This can lead to panic attacks triggered by harmless things like rain or even washing yourself in the shower.
News broadcasting that primarily focuses on “scare tactics” and fear of what might happen if the show is not seen can also be seen as a form of psychological terrorism. People who consistently watch shows that highlight nothing but negative aspects of society, such as viruses, wars, and violent crimes, may find themselves more inclined to focus on such things and live in constant fear. While this is not guaranteed, it should still be considered by news professionals seeking to ensure professional conduct and useful messages to viewers.
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