http://revista.ieee.es/index.php/ieee 264 Journal of the Spanish Institute for Strategic Studies Núm. 8 / 2016 INTRODUCTION In the last decades, international terrorism has re-emerged with more violent ac-tions than in prior periods1. The incorporation of armed groups of a jihadist na-ture sowing terror in towns, cities, or regions in Eastern and Western countries2 has led to an in-depth study of the behavior and psyche of fanatic terrorists, who have no doubts about carrying out massacres, nor feel the minimum remorse about it. The psychological consequences caused to the victims and families by the violent actions of terrorist groups or organizations are, almost always, truly harmful and irreparable. To the physical harm produced by the violent actions, one must add the psychologi-cal impression that evokes more pain and suffering in the victim’s environment. The persistent feeling of fear, the social isolation, the loneliness, the constant suffering, the sorrow and anxiety due to the situation after a violent action are relevant factors in the subsequent behavioral development of the victims. Terrorism and mental health are antagonists. The rate of mental health decreases where terrorism grows. In view of the facts, psychologists and psychiatrists have a real task ahead toward the study and research in the field of terrorism. Terrorism: definition and origin The Dictionary of the Spanish Royal Academy of the Language defines terrorism as “dominance through terror”, also as “the succession of acts of violence carried out to instill fear”, or as “the criminal performance of organized gangs who repeatedly, and in general indiscriminately, intend to cause social alarm with political purposes”. Terrorism is also defined as “the undertaking of violent actions by clandestine groups to frighten a population and/or force the will of a government or of an international organization to reach political objectives”3. 1 ROJAS, Enrique, The Seeds of Violence, Barcelona, Espasa Calpe, 1995, pg.17. According to the prestigious psychiatrist Rojas Marcos (1995), many experts describe violence as «an omnipresent and inevitable human quality». This assertion usually goes hand in hand with the thesis that «cruel aggression constitutes an instinctive and intrinsically biological strength». From a mecha-nistic point of view, violence is «an innate energy accumulated in an internal deposit, probably the brain, and which is liberated automatically.» 2 TORRES, Jordi, «The Increase of Jihadism in the West: A Product of the Modern Age», Spanish Institute of Strategic Studies, Madrid, 25 September, 2015, pg.3. According to TORRES, «The causes for the increase of Islamic Jihadism are complex and must be considered with an integral approach, analyzing economic, social, and cultural aspects, as well as historical and political ones. 3 AVILÉS Juan, SEPÚLVEDA, Isidro, History of the current world. From the Fall of the Berlin Wall to the Great Recession, Madrid, Síntesis, 2010, pg.324.
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