Children's conceptions of terrorists

Exploratory studies

Bibliographic Data

ID12439152
AuthorsLouis Oppenheimer (Amsterdam University of the Arts, corresponding author), Ellen Mandemaker (Amsterdam University of the Arts)
Year2008
Volume14
Issue2
Pages193-213
Publication date2008-04-01
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenuePeace and Conflict Journal of Peace Psychology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1078-1919 • E-ISSN: 1532-7949
PublisherAmerican Psychological Association (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1080/10781910802017339
OpenAlexW2144257052
LanguageEN
References cited22

Although literature dealing with the psychological consequences of terrorist attacks and terrorism is abundant, very little information is available about the way children understand and perceive terrorists and terrorism. A series of photographs showing clay puppets of terrorists made by 11-year-old children inspired the two studies reported in this article. The studies had as their purpose to offer initial insights into the way children aged 7 through 11 understand and perceive terrorists. As a theoretical framework, research on the understanding of enemy and enemy images was adopted. The methods employed involved questionnaires and drawings, free associations, and word-recognition tasks. The findings suggest that children aged 7 have no clear understanding of a terrorist. By the age of 9, children’s conceptions show that terrorists are a special instance of an enemy, characterized by concrete actions rather than the undefined presence of an enemy. Across age, terrorists become better defined, more negatively evaluated, and more frightening

Criminology · Exploratory research · Political science · Social science · Sociology · Peace and Human Rights Education · Psychology · Social and Intergroup Psychology · Terrorism, Counterterrorism, and Political Violence

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