The Threat of Suicide Terrorism

This chapter evaluates the moral threat of suicide terrorism. Political and psychological resilience to the threat of suicide bombing requires understanding the difference between suicide bombers and true martyrs. A martyr’s political power comes from the indisputable evidence—the martyr’s own suffering at the hands of the powerful—that the powerful are corrupt and unjust. This evidence is tainted if the would-be martyr indulges in provocation, aggression, or retaliation. The authors offer three directions that can help boost Western political resilience in facing suicide bombers, emphasizing the importance of clearly understanding the definitions of martyr, victim, suicide bomber, and terrorist and how perceptions can be changed in the immediate aftermath of an attack or an uprising.

Martyr Versus Terrorist

Some contenders for the martyrs’ title wish to abuse the power of martyrdom against the West. These include terrorists, especially suicide bombers. Less dangerous, though no less misleading, are claims that self-immolators and victims are martyrs. Continuing to explore the interaction between martyrs and their audiences, this and the following two chapters focus on these cases of mistaken identity. Both martyrs and terrorists act in response to perceived widespread suffering and injustice. Martyrs are willing to pay a personal price for their cause, whereas terrorists intend to extract this price from others. In a sort of a literary experiment, readers are offered a chance to learn more about their own responses to suffering and injustice in order to appreciate the differences between terrorists and martyrs.

An Invitation

In Western countries, there are two systems for understanding the world: religion and science. These two systems come together in surprising ways in exploring the power of self-sacrifice and martyrdom. In this chapter, the authors define martyrdom as peaceful and deliberate acceptance of suffering and death for a cause. The story of World War II Warsaw’s physician, author, and Jewish orphanage director Janusz Korczack sets the stage for exploring basic questions of the book: What exactly does martyrdom mean? How do martyrs differ from heroes and victims? How can a larger psychology of self-sacrifice help us understand martyrdom? The chapter ends with a road map for the rest of the book.

Invoking the Name

The Arab Spring brought to the front pages of Western newspapers stories of people who were hailed as martyrs by Muslims and accepted as such by the West. Two such cases are detailed in this chapter, one of a Tunisian self-immolator who started the Arab Spring; the other of a victim of the Iranian regime’s crackdown on the Green Revolution. The authors use these cases to build on the previous chapter in further exploration of the purposes and pitfalls of misusing the term “martyr.” These cases illuminate the power a word can have over mass politics and individual psychological reactions.

Curious Coincidences

wwThe worldwide success of three blockbusters discussed earlier—the Lord of the Rings trilogy, the Harry Potter series, and the Matrix trilogy—could be seen as a coincidence were it not for the presence of the same seven narrative conditions the authors identify in every one of the three stories. Taken together, these seven conditions make up a prototype of ideal martyrdom: seven ideal conditions for martyrdom (ICMs) that map onto the Gospel story of Jesus. Each ICM contributes to the appeal and mobilizing power of a martyrdom story.

Psychology of Happiness

Can empirical research evaluate Jesus’s claim that self-sacrifice can bring bliss? The authors find answers in positive psychology’s exploration of meaning as a source of happiness and in research on the emotion of elevation associated with witnessing self-sacrifice. Science seems to agree with religion’s promises: self-sacrifice can indeed improve health, longevity, and life satisfaction.

Bread Crumbs and Parting Gifts

In the concluding chapter, the authors highlight the power of self-sacrifice and martyrdom as psychological, political, and cultural forces that persevere despite Western devotion to values of competition and self-interest. A case of self-sacrificial leadership in the military (General Slim) highlights the little-utilized power of leaders’ self-sacrifice to move and inspire followers. The chapter ends with suggestions about how elements of self-sacrifice in everyday life can make our lives happier and more meaningful.

Harry, Frodo, and Neo

Looking first for evidence in popular culture, the authors ask whether martyrdom stories still inspire today as they did 2,000 years ago. Three blockbuster stories that became cultural icons turn out to be martyrdom stories: the Harry Potter series, Lord of the Rings, and the Matrix trilogy. At the heart of each, the authors uncover a story that fits the definition of martyrdom. What’s more, their popular appeal around the world seems to be associated with the parallels they share with the Gospel story of Jesus.

In Martyrs We Trust

In this chapter, the authors examine the first of three steps on a martyr’s path from obscurity to fame: What makes martyrdom a riveting story for individuals who witness it or learn about it? Using the case of 2014 Ukraine’s Heaven’s Hundred, the authors apply psychological research to understand the sources of martyr stories’ appeal. Perceptually, martyrs simplify the world, leaving fewer choices, giving us clarity. Cognitively, martyrdom stories bring satisfaction akin to solving a puzzle. Emotionally, engaging in martyr stories leads to feeling pride and elevation. This and the following two chapters highlight martyrdom’s ability to divide an audience into supporters and opponents, leading to conflict––and sometimes violence––between the two groups.

Fairy Tale Science

The last section of the book focuses on the audience of martyrdom: ordinary people who make the extraordinary achievements of martyrs possible. The authors describe the developmental origins of self-sacrifice, its psychological appeal, and its effects on those who engage in it. The developmental psychology of self-sacrifice begins with a child born a perfect egoist, unable to see the world from a perspective different from her own. Through the first several years, she learns to act altruistically and learns the rewards of this action. A major milestone of socialization is the capacity to value the self-sacrifices of others. This achievement is owed to expanding cognitive and emotional capacities, and aided by exposure to fairy tales and identification with fairy tale characters.