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This book uses an interdisciplinary approach to understand the psychological and socio-historical motivations that propel terrorism, whether initiated by large groups, small cells, or lone wolves. Why do humans slaughter others of their species in the name of God? Although these authors use an eclectic perspective to examine the contemporary rise of religious and ideological extremism, for this particular audience I will be foregrounding the psychoanalytic ideas employed in this work.
An early chapter called “Large Group Identity and Prejudice” outlines the psychoanalytic foundations of the book. The authors thoughtfully consider “Who are we and who is the Other?” Individuals and groups respond both consciously and unconsciously to such questions. A touchstone idea is Erik Erikson's notion of identity as a continuity of the self, a sense of sameness of self over time. These authors, following Volkan's extensive fieldwork in conflicted areas around the globe, expand on this concept, applying it to large groups.
A large group is a nationalistic, religious, ethnic, or political affiliation among individuals that comprises thousands or millions of people. It is primarily an emotional link, described as a powerful dynamic network that provides a sense of belonging: “We are Americans,” “We are Christians,” “We are Jews,” “We are Kurds,” “We are Sunni Muslims,” “We are Sioux or Ochéthi Šakówin.” The authors recall Erikson's speculation about the earliest expressions of clan formation. “Pseudo species” is the term he used to define the development of primitive man into tribes, signaled by bodily adornment worn as armor against vulnerable nakedness: a feather on the head or an animal skin. According to the authors, “On the basis of these outer garments, each tribe, clan, or group evolved a sense of shared identity” (p. 35). Volkan (personal communication, March 14, 2011) has elaborated on this elsewhere by describing large group identity as a “second skin.” Globalization