Patterns in the type of recruiting done among groups committing terrorist acts lends substance to these profiles of modern terrorists. Many terrorists are genuinely convinced that their cause, whether associated with their ethnic, religious, economic, or ideological convictions, has been systematically betrayed and exploited by powerful and nefarious forces. Terrorists thus feel justified in victimizing others with similar atrocities or upping the destructive ante. According to their beliefs, they have been left no choice in the matter by a cruel and insensitive world. It is this perspective that eliminates or diminishes the possibility of compromise or flexibility.
Terrorists view the world in terms of good and evil.
Terrorism, then, represents an absolutist approach to resolving political problems. It has become increasingly indicative of an anti-Western bias and many terrorists are seduced by thoughts of becoming a martyr. A great deal of contemporary terrorism, perhaps most of it, is motivated, justified, and inspired by fundamentalist religious doctrine. The perception of being morally wronged, sometimes passes on as mythology from generation to generation, is compounded by the fact that many terrorist are aggressive, lonely, frustrated, and dogmatic individuals. Terrorism for such individuals ,who tend to oversimplify issues, is the ultimate expression of carrying a chip on the shoulder.