Terrorists are not ordinary people. They are very focused and they are convinced that what they are doing is right, says Bala Chauhan, after speaking to psychologists
 From outside, they look mild and like anyone else, ordinary people. It’s impossible to fathom that a soft exterior can hide a hardcore terrorist mind, which can kill thousands by his or her one act of insanity, spill blood on the streets, devastate houses and families and ruin it all for them forever.
They are faceless people, programmed to destroy and kill. They are messengers of death. Unlike criminals and psychopaths, they have a bigger mission, which is beyond the self. They are educated, highly qualified, dedicated and committed to the cause. “They are not ordinary people. They are very focussed, obedient and loyal. They have an unquestioning mind and unflinching faith. They don’t have any other distraction and not many friends,” said Dr Malini, forensic psychologist, Forensic Science Laboratory, Bangalore.
 “It’s not everyone that can be brainwashed and not just anyone can become a militant. They are convinced that what they are doing is right and they have been given a task to fulfil. They become so committed to the ideology that they become indifferent to others, even their own feelings,” she added.
Terrorists believe that their attacks are not senseless violence. “They undergo extensive training. They are given sermons on how their religion or community is being targetted and how their people are being hounded and menaced,” she added.
Studies on terrorists conclude that a terrorist does not suffer from a specific pathology and cannot be classified as psychotic. If terrorism was a pathological disorder, it would have been easier to treat it. Besides religious reasons, there are also political reasons of why some people take to terrorism. A suicide bomber needs enough courage to blow up his life, for a cause, that may not be even met after his death. But he believes that he could a channel of change, feel experts.
What is their gratification? “If it’s for religious reasons, then they are given the promise of Jannat (heaven).They feel that only through their act, they will be redeemed,” said Dr Malini.